UCSB  LIBRARV 


lau  a 


THE 


WOMEN  OF  METHODISM 


ITS   THREE  FOUNDRESSES, 

SUSANNA  WESLEY,  THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON, 
AND  BARBARA  HECK; 


WITH  SKETCHES  OF  THEIR  FEMALE  ASSOCIATES  AND  SUCCESSORS 
IN  THE  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  THE  DENOMINATION. 


BY    ABEL    STEYENS,    LL.D. 


A   CENTENARY   OFFERING    TO    THE    WOMEN    OF    AMERICAN    METHODISM,  FROM 
THE  AMERICAN    MZTHODIST    LADIES1    CENTENARY    ASSOCIATION. 


Nero    $ork: 


PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON  &  PORTER, 

800    MULBBBET-BTBKKT. 
1866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 
CARLTON    &   PORTER, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


DEDICATORY  PREFACE. 


To  MES.  BISHOP  HAHLINE  AND 

Miss  FBANCIB  E.  WILLABD. 

LADIES  :  In  submitting  to  you  the  volume  which  the  "  Amer- 
ican Methodist  Ladies'  Centenary  Association"  has,  through 
you,  as  their  president  and  secretary,  requested  me  to  write,  an 
apologetic  remark  is  due  to  both  the  public  and  myself.  A 
good  authority  has  said  that  "no  man  can  do  anything  thor- 
oughly in  literature  or  art  unless  he  rides  it  as  a  hobby."  Hob- 
byism  in  literature  is,  however,  particularly  obnoxious  to  criti- 
cism, to  popular  criticism  at  least,  especially  if  it  inflicts  on  the 
public  a  multiplication  of  books  of  substantially  the  same 
subject.  If  I  incur  this  risk  I  cannot  blame  myself.  In  my 
historic  writings  on  Methodism  I  have  contemplated  but  two 
tasks ;  having  concluded  the  first  of  these  attempts,  and  issued 
two  volumes  of  the  second,  I  had  hoped  to  complete  the  latter 
before  the  present  date,  and  then  turn  to  quite  other  labors. 
But  the  command  of  the  Centenary  Committee,  to  prepare  its 
"Centenary  Book,"  could  not  be  disobeyed.  This  centenary 
volume  had  hardly  been  published  before  your  command  also 
reached  me,  and  here  is  my  response.  So  important  is  this 
centenary  occasion  of  Methodism,  so  capable  and  promising  of 
transcendent  results,  not  only  to  the  Church,  but  to  the  religious 
welfare  of  the  country  generally,  that  I  have  felt  compelled  by 
my  conscience  to  respond  to  your  call. 

The  preparation  of  this  small  volume  has  deeply  interested 
me.  My  previous  historical  studies  of  earl}'  Methodism  have 
convinced  me  that  no  other  modern,  perhaps  no  ancient,  section 
of  the  Church  possessed  richer  materials  for  the  illustration  of 
female  piety  and  agency  in  religion  than  Methodism.  My  re- 
cent revision  of  these  materials  convinces  me,  as  I  have  remarked 
somewhere  in  the  following  pages,  that  there  could  hardly  be  a 


4  PREFACE. 

better  revelation  of  the  primitive  and  interior  life  of  the  denom- 
ination than  would  be  a  thorough  account  of  its  early  "  devout 
women,1'  especially  the  female  correspondents  and  associates  of 
"Wesley ;  but  such  a  work  would  require  elaborate  research  in 
the  contemporary  Methodist  literature,  and  especially  a  minute 
study  of  Wesley's  letters,  and  of  the  frequent  but  obscure  allu- 
sions of  his  Journals,  and  their  collation  with  our  old  and 
numerous  biographical  works.  The  limits  imposed  necessarily 
on  the  present  volume  by  its  immediate  purpose  have  forbid 
any  such  comprehensive  attempt ;  I  have  endeavored,  neverthe- 
less, to  so  plan  the  book,  and  condense  and  group  its  materials, 
as  to  serve  in  part  this  object,  and  to  prepare  a  record  of  our 
"  elect  ladies,"  which,  after  the  centenary  is  passed,  may  abide 
a  permanent  part  of  our  Church  literature,  till  at  least  a  better 
hand  shall  give  us  such  a  volume  as  here  indicated. 

As  in  the  preface  to  my  "Centenary  Book,"  I  may  express 
the  hope  that  you  and  other  readers,  who  may  have  followed 
me  over  some  of  the  same  ground  in  my  larger  works,  will  not 
find  these  sketches  uninteresting,  though  they  must  be,  in  part 
substantially,  a  reproduction  of  data  already  given,  and  some- 
times with  but  little  variation  of  style.  In  my  larger  books 
they  occur  in  detached  fragments  ;  here  they  are  given  in  more 
biographic  unity  and  detail.  Of  many  of  the  present  char- 
acters I  have,  however,  heretofore  had  no  occasion  to  treat; 
of  the  familiar  ones  I  have  endeavored,  with  some  success,  to 
procure  new  iLaterials.  Several  of  the  sketches  include  facts 
never  before  published  in  this  country ;  and  some  of  them,  like 
Grace  Murray,  the  dearest  of  all  her  sex  to  the  pure  and  great 
heart  of  John  Wesley,  are  not  without  romantic  interest.  I  have 
succeeded  also  in  obtaining  some  new  data  respecting  Barbara 
Heck ;  and  though  our  information  concerning  that  memorable 
woman  must  forever  remain  irreparably  deficient,  I  have  been 
able  to  trace  her  dimly  to  her  peaceful  end.  It  is  my  fervent 
prayer  that  this  small  tribute  to  the  great  designs  which  you 
and  the  women  of  American  Methodism  generally  are  so  mag- 
nificently planning  may  have  some  humble  share  in  promoting 
your  success.  ABEL  STEVENS. 

MAMABO.VECK  PARSONAGE, 
January,  1866. 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION . .  Page    9 

Women  in  Church  History 9 

Their  Peculiar  Activity  in  Methodism 10 

Wesley  and  Women 14 

He  organizes  their  Activity  in  Religion 18 

PAKT  I 

SUSANNA  WESLEY  AND  WESLEYAN  METHODISM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

SUSANNA  WESLEY. 


Page 


Religious  Condition  of  England 
in  the  Eighteenth  Century. . .  23 

Epworth  Rectory 24 

Early  Life  and  Character  of  Mrs. 

Wesley 25 

Her  Beauty 26 

Her  Husband,  Samuel  Wesley.  29 

Life  in  the  Rectory 32 

Its  Children 33 

Its  singular  Domestic  System. .   35 
Adam  Clarke's  Opinion  of  the 

Family 40 

Domestic  Trials 41 

The  Rectory  the  Cradle  of  Meth- 
odism    43 

Mrs.  Wesley's  Influence  on  her 

Son  and  Methodism 43 

Important  Examples 44 

Her  Death 49 

Results  of  her  Agency  in  the 

Religious  World 50 

Present  Extent  of  Methodism..  53 

CHAPTER  II. 

MARY  FLETCHER  AND  HEB  COM- 
PANIONS. 

Her  Relation  to  Wesley 56 

Her  Character 56 


Her  Early  Life 56 

Her  Schools  and  Usefulness  ...  61 

Margaret  Lewen 63 

Mrs.  Fletcher's  Public  Labors.  63 

Her  Marriage  to  Fletcher 66 

Her  Life  at  Madeley 68 

Her  Happy  old  Age 67 

Her  Death 69 

Madeley  Mementoes 71 

Her  Companions 74 

Sarah  Ryan 75 

Wesley's  Letters  to  her 75 

Sketch  of  her  Life 77 

Her  Death 78 

Sarah  Crosby 79 

Wesley  Corresponds  with  her. .  80 

'  Sketch  of  her  Life 82 

:  Her  Death 86 

Sarah  Lawrence 87 

Her  Devotion  and  Usefulness . .  90 
Women  and  Methodism 91 

CHAPTER  III. 

•       FURTHER  NOTICES  OF  WE8LEYAN 
WOMEN. 

!  Lady  Fitzgerald 98 

i  Her  Sufferings 94 

Her  Good  Works 95 

Her  Death  by  Fire 97 

Hester  Ann  Rogers 98 


CONTENTS. 


•  Page 

Sketch  of  her  Life 98 

Interview  with  Fletcher 102 

She  witnesses  Wesley's  Death.  103 

Her  own  Death 103 

Elizabeth  Ritchie  (Mrs.  Mort- 
imer)    104 

Her  Relations  with  Wesley . . .  104 

Mysticism 105 

She  resides  with  Wesley 107 

Her  Usefulness 109 

Her  Death 110 

Lady  Maxwell 110 

Her  Co-operation  with  Wes- 
ley   Ill 

Her  Death...  113 


fag* 

Grace  Murray 114 

Her  Character 114 

Sketch  of  her  Life 115 

Wesley  in  Love  with  her 117 

Her  Account  of  herself. .......  119 

Wesley's  Disappointment 124 

His  Interview  with  her  in  Old 

Age 127 

His  unfortunate  Marriage  with 

Mrs.Vizelle 128 

Dinah  Evans 129 

The  Heroine  of  a  Novel 130 

Sketch  of  her  Life 130 

The  Dairyman's  Daughter 134 

Sketch  of  Elizabeth  Wallbridge  141 


PAKT  II. 

SELINA,  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON,  AND 
CALVINISTIC  METHODISM. 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HtrNTENGDOlT. 

Unity  of  Calvinistic  and  Armin- 

i»n  Methodism 145 

Sketch  of  the  Life   of  Lady 

Huntingdon 146 

Her  Eelations  with  Wesley . . .  147 
Whitefield  and  his  Noble  Hear- 
ers   150 

Her  Female  Companions 150 

Her  Travels  and  U  sefulness . .  151 
Her     Control    of    Calvinistic 

Methodism 152 

Lord  Dartmouth 157 

Remarkable  Scenes 157 


Trevecca  College 161 

Interesting  Scenes  there 163 

Lady    Huntingdon's    Connec- 
tion    164 

Consequences  of  Whitefield's 

Death 165 

The     Countess's     Plans     for 

America 165 

Missionary  Scenes 167 

Her  Death 170 

Her  Charities 171 

Her  Character 171 

Results  of  Calvinistic  Method- 
ism ..  172 


PAET  III. 
BARBARA  HECK  AND  AMERICAN  METHODISM. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

BARBARA     HECK. 

Her  Position  in  American  Ec- 
clesiastical History 175 

Story  of  the  "  Palatines" 176 


Barbara  Heck's  Early  Life 180 

Voyage  to  America 182 

Philip  Embury 183 

Falling  Away  of  the  Palatines.  184 
Their  Restoration 185 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Names  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tion    186 

Captain  Webb '. .  188 

The  old  Rigging  Loft 188 

First  Chapel  and  Parsonage..  189 

Wesley's  Missionaries 192 

The  Palatines  retire  to  North- 
ern New  York 192 

Death  of  Embury 193 

The  Emburys  and  Hecks  go  to 

Lower  Canada 193 

To  Upper  Canada 193 

They    Found    Methodism    at 

Augusta 193 

W  illiam  Losee 194 

The  First  Itinerant  in  Canada.  194 

Death  of  Paul  Heck 197 

Death  of  Barbara  Heck 198 

Descendants  of  the  Emburys 

and  Hecks 198 

The  "  Old  Blue  Church"  Grave- 
yard  199,  203 

The  Heck  Homesteads 206 

Extraordinary  Results 207 

CHAPTER  II. 

ASBUBY  AND  HIS  FEMALE  FBIENDS. 

Asbury  and  Celibacy 218 

Marriage     and    Location     of 

Preachers 214 

Asbury's  Character 214 

His  Influence  over  the  Higher 

Classes 215 

Mary  Wilmer 217 

Mary  Wallace 218 

Mrs.  Baker 219 

Mary  White 220 

Sketch  of  Judge  White's  Fam- 
ily    224 

Mrs.  Senator  Bassett 228 

Services    of    her    Family    to 

Methodism 229 

Bohemia  Manor 22f 

Mary  Ennalls 231 

Methodism    in    Dorchester 

County,  Maryland 23( 

Garrettson  Imprisoned 23^ 

Prudence  Gough 235 

Life  at  Perry  Hall 23 

Sophia  Gough 243 

Asbury's  Female  Friends  in 

Baltimore 246 

Mrs.  Moore 246 

Mrs.  Owings 247 

Mrs.  Triplett 247 


Rachel  Hutings 247 

Mrs.  Chamier 248 

Martha  F.  Allison 248 

Eleanor  Dorsey 248 

Extraordinary  Example...  w ..  250 
Asbury  among  the  Holston 

Mountains 252 

First  Conference  beyond  the 

Alleghanies 252 

Mrs.  General  Kussell 253 

CHAPTER  in. 

LATEB  WOMEN    OF  AMEBIOAN   METH- 
ODISM. 

Review 256 

Catharine     Livingston,     Mrs. 

Garrettson 257 

The  Connecting  Link  between 
the  early  and  late  Women  of 

Methodist  History 257 

The  Garrettson  Homestead...  257 

Its  Scenery 258 

Freeborn  Garrettson 259 

Catharine  Garrettson's  Social 

Position 261 

Sketch  of  her  Life 261 

President  Olin's  Estimate  of 

her  Character 265 

The  "House  Warming" 267 

"  Traveler's  Rest " 268 

Asbury  resting  there 268 

Its  Relics 270 

Asbury  among  the  Livingstons  271 
Death  of  Madame  Livingston.  272 

Catherine  Suckley 272 

Relics  of  Asbury 272 

Her  Character  and  Death 273 

Ann  Wilkins,  a  type  of  Female 

Missionary  Character 275 

Her  Life 276 

Her  Self-sacrifice 277 

Her  Blessed  Death 279 

Eliza  Garrett,  a  Model  of  Fe- 
male Liberality 281 

The  Garrett  Biblical  Institute.  285 

Its  Prompt  Establishment 289 

Its  Extensive  Patronage 291 

Its  Early  Fruits 291 

Its  Promise  for  the  Future 292 

A  Prominent  Object  of  Con- 
nectional  Centenary  Effort. .  292 

Heck  Hall 293 

Conclusion 293 

Responsibilities  of  Women  for 
the  Present  and  future 294 


CONTENTS 


APPENDIX. 


BXXTCH.  OF   THE    AMERICAN    LADIES' 
OENTENAKY  MOVEMENT. 

Origin 295 

Primary  Design 296 

Enlargement  of  Plan 297 

Connectional  Character 297 

Relations  of  the  Connectional 
Fund  to  Female  Education.  298 

PLANS  OF  OPERATION. 

Membership,  etc 298 

Certificates 299 

Branch  and  Auxiliary  Associ- 
ations    299 

Individual  and  Congregational 
Action 299 


Ladies'  Centenary  Volume. . . .  800 

Accounts 800 

Funds— Eeports 800 

Final  Word 801 


EXTRACT    OF    AN    ADDRESS    BY    RBV. 
0.   H.    FOWLER. 

Members  of  the  Centenary 
Committees 804 

General  Treasurers  of  Cente- 
nary Funds 804 

Officers  of  the  Ladies'  Associa- 
tion and  its  Branches 304 

Life  Members  etc 804 


WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 


INTEODUOTION. 

Women  in  Church  History  —  Their  Peculiar  Activity  in  Methodism  — 
Wesley  organized  Female  Activity  in  Religion— Wesley  and  Women 
—Character  of  his  Female  Correspondence  —  His  Appreciation  of 
Woman  —  Her  Honorable  Place  in  Methodism. 

THE  agency  of  women  in  religion  has  formed 
some  of  the  most  interesting,  if  not  some  of  the 
most  salient,  facts  of  ecclesiastical  history.  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  and  Anna,  historic  figures  in  the  scenes 
of  the  advent  and  childhood  of  the  Messiah ;  Mary 
and  Martha  of  Bethany,  the  Magdalene,  and  Joanna, 
"  the  wife  of  Herod's  steward,"  and  "  Susanna,  and 
many  others  which  ministered  unto"  Christ  "of 
their  substance;"  Phosbe,  the  Deaconess,  of  Cen- 
chrea,  "a  succorer  of  many  and  myself  also,"  says 
Paul ;  Damaris,  his  convert  in  the  Areopagus ;  the 
four  prophetesses,  daughters  of  "  Philip  the  Evangel- 
ist" of  Cesarea;  Lydia,  of  Thyatira;  Priscilla,'who, 
.Paul  says,  had  "  for  my  life  laid  down  her  own  neck," 
"  unto  whom  not  only  I  give  thanks,  but  also  all  the 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

Churches  of  the  Gentiles,"  and  in  whose  house  was 
sustained  the  infant  Church  of  Rome;  Junia,  who 
with  her  husband  was  Paul's  "  fellow-prisoner,"  and 
"  of  note  among  the  apostles ;"  Tryphena  and  Try- 
phosa,  "who  labored  in  the  Lord,"  and  Persis, 
"  which  labored  much  in  the  Lord ;"  Dorcas,  and  the 
"elect  lady"  of  St.  John,  with  others,  are  revealed 
to  us  in  mere  glimpses  of  the  sacred  history,  but 
sufficiently  to  give  to  the  record  some  of  its  most 
genial  traits,  and  to  prefigure  that  effective  and 
exalted  position,  ecclesiastical  and  social,  which 
Christianity  was  about  to  assign  to  their  sex,  and 
which  has  had  so  momentous  an  influence  on 
European  civilization  that  the  greatest  historical 
philosopher  of  our  age  has  deemed  it  necessary,  in 
an  elaborate  vindication  of  Christianity,  to  devote  a 
chapter  to  "  Christ  and  Women."  With  the  devel- 
opment of  the  Church  followed  also  the  development 
of  the  dignity  and  activity  of  woman.  Its  post- 
apostolic  periods  are  studded  with  illustrious  female 
names ;  that  of  Helena  is  forever  associated,  in  eccle- 
siastical history,  with  Constantine,  that  of  Monica 
with  Augustine,  Eusebia  with  Gregory  of  JSTissa, 
Paula  with  Jerome,  Marcella  with  Athanasius ;  and 
great  cities  and  states  have  been  proud  to  identify 
saintly  women  with  their  own  history :  saints  Cecilia, 
Genevieve,  Theresa,  Elizabeth. 
It  may  be  doubted  whether  any  section  of  ecclesi- 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

astical  history  since  Mary,  "  the  mother  of  Jesus,"  is 
richer  in  female  characters  than  that  which  records 
the  "  Religious  Movement  of  the  Eighteenth  Century 
called  Methodism."  Years  elapsed  before  that  move- 
ment took  the  form  of  distinct  sects ;  and  even  after 
its  ecclesiastical  unity  was  somewhat  broken,  its 
moral  unity  was  still  maintained  down  to  about  the 
end  of  the  century.  It  pervaded  and  revived  the 
nonconformity  of  England,  enlisting  in  the  ranks  of 
Calvinistic  Methodism  not  a  few  of  the  leading  dis- 
senting ministers  of  the  kingdom.  It  influenced 
considerably  the  Established  Church,  drawing  some 
of  its  best  clergy  into  co-operation  with  Calvinistic 
or  Arminian  Methodism,  according  to  their  theo- 
logical predilections ;  while  it  roused,  chiefly  as 
Arminian  or  Wesleyan  Methodism,  the  great  mass 
of  the  degraded  population,  and  was  initiated  by  a 
woman  —  Barbara  Heck — in  its  unparalleled  career 
among  the  mixed  population  of  America.  Calvin- 
istic Methodism  was  founded  by  the  Countess  of 
Huntingdon,  in  co-operation  with  Whitefield,  and 
mostly  controlled  by  her ;  and  with  her  were  associ- 
ated some  of  the  most  notable  women  of  the  aristoc- 
racy of  the  day.  Wesleyan  Methodism  was,  however, 
to  have  the  chief  honor  of  developing  female  activity 
in  the  Methodistic  movement.  "Wesley's  legislative 
.genius^  equal,  as  Macaulay  affirms,  to  that  of  Rich- 
elieu, provided  effective  occasions  for  the  influence 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

and  talents  of  females.  He  introduced  into  his 
system  the  stated  Prayer-Meeting,  the  weekly  Class- 
Meeting  and  Band-Meeting,  and  the  Agapa  of  the 
Moravians  and  the  ancient  Church.  His  strict  preju- 
dices as  a  Churchman  could  hardly  interfere  with  the 
participation  of  prudent  and  devout  women  in  these 
select  and  social  services.  Many  remarkable  exam- 
ples of  female  talent  came  under  his  attention  on 
these  occasions,  and  he  could  not  consent  that  such 
talents  should  be  repressed  or  hid  "in  a  napkin." 
It  was  not  long  before  he  appointed  women  as 
official  leaders  of  female  Classes  and  Bands.  He  thus 
organized  the  agency  of  women  in  the  Church. 
Their  impressive  exhortations  in  prayer-meetings, 
comprising  both  sexes,  became  generally  recognized 
as  proofs  of  remarkable  means  of  usefulness  with 
which  the  new  cause  was  providentially  endowed. 
The  "circuit  system"  of  the  ministry  gave  intimate 
relations  to  societies  scattered  over  one  or  two  hund- 
red miles ;  they  all  had  the  same  two  or  three  pastors ; 
their  ecclesiastical  business  was  transacted  as  a  com- 
mon interest;  they  were  almost  as  one  society,  so 
that 'not  only  active  laymen  but  active  women,  in 
any  one  "preaching  appointment,"  were  generally 
known  throughout  the  circuit ;  the  latter,  therefore, 
as  well  as  the  former,  went  often  on  religious  visita- 
tions from  place  to  place  over  large  districts  of  the 
country.  Some  of  these  women,  like  Mary  Fletcher, 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

Hester  Ann  Rogers,  Ann  Crosby,  Sarah  Ryan,  and 
Grace  Murray,  addressed  large  assemblies,  irresisti- 
bly attracted  by  their  modest  eloquence.  Wesley  at 
last  recognized  them,  not  as  preachers,  but  as  follow- 
ing the  example  of  the  apostolic  "  Deaconesses"  and 
"Prophetesses."  He  counseled  and  regulated  their 
labors,  as  we  shall  see ;  and  there  is  hardly  a  recorded 
intimation  of  any  unseemly  consequence  of  this  very 
extraordinary  innovation. 

Wesleyan  Methodism  was  virtually  founded  by 
Susanna  Wesley.  Wesley's  education,  by  his  re- 
markable mother,  had  impressed  him  with  the 
highest  idea  of  Christian  womanhood.  The  genial 
associations  of  his  early  home  at  Epworth,  sanctified 
by  the  affections  and  ennobled  by  the  intelligence 
of  his  talented  sisters,  could  not  fail  to  incline 
him  to  a  just  appreciation  of  woman.  There  was 
also,  perhaps,  inherent  in  the  very  constitution  of 
his  rare  mind,  a  refined  and  feminine  delicacy, 
which  instinctively  sympathized  .  with  whatever 
was  virtuous  or  elevated  in  the  sex.  His  female 
friendships  form  a  most  interesting  feature  in  his 
extraordinary  history ;  women  and  children  every- 
where spontaneously  confided  themselves  to  the 
benign  and  magical  charm  of  his  influence,  receiv- 
ing his  word  as  that  of  a  divine  prophet  or  a  beloved 
father.  The  greater  portion  of  his  printed  corre- 
spondence was  with  females,  and  it  is  pervaded  by 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

the  most  .tender,  pure,  yet  fervent  sentiment.  Many 
of  these  friendships  were  formed  when  he  was  in 
advanced  years,  but  while  his  correspondents  were 
yet  in  the  bloom  and  sensitive  tenderness  of  their 
young  maidenhood :  he  addressed  them  as  his  daugh- 
ters, they  revered  and  loved  him  as  their  father  and 
guide ;  and  his  long  life  enabled  him  to  continue  the 
correspondence  when  many  of  them  were  venerable, 
not  only  with  years,  but  with  virtues  and  services. 
Mary  Fletcher,  Hester  Ann  Rogers,  Ann  Ritchie, 
Grace  Murray,  Lady  Maxwell,  Lady  Fitzgerald,  sur- 
vived him.  Two  of  them  ministered  at  his  dying  bed, 
and  all  mourned  his  death  as  that  of  a  beloved  parent. 
While  few  things,  perhaps  nothing,  could  more 
completely  and  more  gracefully  exhibit  the  intimate 
or  interior  life  of  primitive  Methodism  than  a  thor- 
ough record  of  Wesley's  friendships  and  correspond- 
ence with  women,  and  their  agency  in  the  Method- 
istic  revival,  scarcely  anything  could  better  illustrate 
the  excellence  of  his  own  character.  A  distinguished 
contemporary,  an  ardent  Churchman,  who  knew  him 
well,*  addressed  to  Robert  Southey  an  elaborate 
letter  on  the  character  of  Wesley,  treating  particu- 
larly of  his  relation  to  his  female  associates.!  This 

*  Alexander  Knox,  Esq.,  Secretary  to  Lord  Castlereagh  in  Ireland. 
Knox's  private  letters  to  Bishop  Jebb  make  some  important  vindica- 
tions of  Methodism.  Jebb's  "Thirty  Years'  Correspondence,"  etc. 

t  This  letter  is  given  in  the  Appendix  to  the  last  volume  of  Southey'a 
Life  of  Weslev. 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

testimony  is  too  important  to  be  omitted  here,  not- 
withstanding its  length.  "Mr.  Southey,"  he  says, 
"  will  agree  with  me  that  the  characteristic  openness 
which  marks  all  Mr.  Wesley's  letters,  and  makes  them 
be  felt  as  a  disclosure  of  his  very  mind  and  heart,  is 
never  more  conspicuous  than  when  he  is  writing  to 
his  friends  of  the  female  sex.  It  is  certain  that  Mr. 
Wesley  had  a  predilection  for  the  female  character ; 
partly,  because  he  had  a  mind  ever  alive  to  amiabil- 
ity, and  partly  from  his  generally  finding  in  females 
a  quicker  and  fuller  responsiveness  to  his  own  ideas 
of  interior  piety  and  affectionate  devotion.  To  his 
female  correspondents,  therefore,  (as  it  strikes  me,) 
he  writes  with  peculiar  effluence  of  thought  and 
frankness  of  communication.  He,  in  fact,  unbosoms 
himself  on  every  topic  which  occurs  to  him,  as  to 
kindred  spirits,  in  whose  sympathies  he  confided, 
and  from  whose  recommunications  he  hoped  for 
additional  light  on  those  internal  concerns  which 
were  ever  uppermost  in  his  mind  and  nearest  to 
his  heart.  Accordingly,  in  these  prompt  effusions 
all  Mr.  Wesley's  peculiarities  are  in  fullest  display. 
On  the  closest  examination,  no  sentiment,  no  inclina- 
tion, will  be  found  to  reflect  the  slightest  shade  on 
Mr.  Wesley's  moral  principles  or  feelings.  What- 
ever mixtures  there  may  be  of  speculative  error 
or  injudicious  guidance,  the  ultimate  object  is  uni- 
formly pure  and  excellent ;  be  the  prescribed  means 


16  INTRODUCTION. 

of  advancement  what  they  may,  the  point  aimed  at 
is  consummate  virtue  in  every  temper  and  in  every 
action.  I  must  add  that  the  character  of  the  letters 
is  uniform ;  they  are  in  the  strictest  harmony  with 
each  other,  and,  indeed,  with  everything  else  which 
proceeded  from  him.  It  is  the  same  John  "Wesley, 
whether  he  addresses  individuals  or  addresses  thou- 
sands ;  expressing  his  quick  conceptions  with  an  un- 
suspecting frankness,  as  if  there  were  not  a  thought 
in  his  mind  which  he  wished  to  conceal,  and  as  if  he 
had  no  wish  whatever,  except  for  the  spiritual  good 
of  those  who  sought  his  instruction.  He  so  literally 
talks  upon  paper  as  to  make  it  inconceivable  that  he 
should  have  conversed  with  them  in  any  other  style 
than  that  in  which  he  wrote  to  them ;  and  while  he 
is  unreservedly  and  ardently  the  friend  of  all  to  whom 
he  writes,  the  flow  of  his  affection  is  so  pure  and  so 
paternal  as  to  exclude  the  possibility  of  imagining 
that  its  simplicity  could  ever  have  been  marred  by 
the  shadow  of  an  opposite  mixture.  Such,  I  think, 
would  be  the  impression  on  my  mind,  solely  from 
the  letters  themselves ;  but  when  I  read  them  with 
that  decisive  comment  which  my  own  recollections 
afford,  I  feel  with  a  certainty,  which  mathematical 
demonstration  could  not  exceed,  that  never  for  one 
moment  was  the  evidence  of  those  letters  falsified,  or 
their  spirit  departed  from,  in  the  actual  intercourse 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  life,  in  whatever  circumstances  he 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

might  have  been  placed,  or  into  whatever  society  he 
might  have  been  thrown.  It  continually  appears, 
from  Mr.  "Wesley's  mode  of  writing,  that  his  female 
disciples  consulted  him  as  one  to  whom  they  ascribed 
the  spirit  as  well  as  the  wisdom  of  an  apostle.  The 
subjects  treated  of  establish  this  fact,  and  present,  as 
it  were,  the  reflected  image  of  as  unqualified  a  confi- 
dence as  could  be  placed  in  a  human  being.  "We 
have,  then,  virtually,  in  these  letters  the  great  body 
of  Mr.  "Wesley's  female  friends  bearing  to  his  charac- 
ter the  most  unimpeachable  as  well  as  the  most  con- 
cordant witness.  And  let  it  be  remembered  that  this 
evidence  is  given  on  the  fullest  knowledge ;  as,  from 
Mr.  Wesley's  constant  itinerancy,  his  friends  had 
ever-recurring  opportunities  of  observing  him,  in 
every  point  of  view  and  in  all  possible  conjunctures. 
It  is  also  obvious  that  Mr.  "Wesley's  female  corre- 
spondents were  sincerely  pious,  and  that  the  species 
of  piety  which  influenced  them,  however  chargeable 
with  weakness,  is  perfectly  opposite  to  every  kind 
of  moral  laxity.  Their  respect  and  veneration,  there- 
fore, for  Mr.  "Wesley  is  a  conclusive  evidence  of  his 
uniform  rectitude  of  conduct ;  for  had  there  been  any 
variation  in  this  respect,  it  must  have  been  observed 
by  some  or  other  of  those  intimate  female  friends ; 
and  had  such  a  discovery,  at  any  time  or  in  any 
instance,  been  made,  esteem  and  veneration  would 
instantly  have  been  changed  into  horror  and  detest- 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

ation.  I  can,  besides,  say,  from  my  own  knowledge, 
that  some  of  Mr.  Wesley's  female  friends  possessed 
acute  discernment  and  solid  understanding.  On  the 
whole,  is  it  not  obvious  that,  in  the  intimate  inter- 
course which  Mr.  Wesley  had  for  so  many  years  with 
them,  and  countless  other  females  of  similar  charac- 
ter, continued,  uniform  imposition  was  impossible, 
and  that  the  argument  hence  arising  in  support  of 
Mr.  Wesley's  perfect  moral  consistency  is  irrefra- 
gable? Whatever  may  have  been  the  defects  or 
excesses  of  Wesleyan  Methodism,  it  has  certainly 
been  the  most  moral  of  all  similar  associations; 
and  the  ruling  claim  which  held  so  many  thousands 
in  adherence  to  a  standard  so  much  above  their 
original  frame  of  mind  and  habits  of  life,  was  the 
exemplary  virtue  of  their  leader.  Any  deviation, 
therefore,  from  that  standard  in  Mr.  Wesley  would 
have  been  as  astounding  to  his  followers  as  the  fall 
from  heaven  of  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude.  But  I 
can  assert,  from  my  own  knowledge,  that  the  minds 
of  Mr.  Wesley's  people  never  were  disturbed  by  such 
a  thought.  For  the  last  five-and-twenty  years  of  his 
life  I  was  acquainted  with  everything  material  which 
concerned  him  or  them ;  and  nothing  which  was  or 
had  been  reported  respecting  him  could  have  escaped 
my  cognizance.  Yet  never,  I  can  aver,  was  his  fair 
fame  sullied  by  the  slightest  breath  of  suspicion; 
and  no  intimation  ever  reached  my  ears  which  did 


INTRODUCTION.  19 

not  either  give  witness  to,  or  accord  with,  his  immac- 
ulate integrity.  It  will  hardly  be  denied  that,  even 
in  this  frail  and  corrupted  world,  we  sometimes  meet 
persons  who,  in  their  very  mien  and  aspect,  as  well 
as  in  the  whole  habit  of  life,  manifest  such  a  stamp 
and  signature  of  virtue  as  to  make  our  judgment  of 
them  a  matter  of  intuition  rather  than  a  result  of 
continued  examination.  I  never  met  a  human  being 
who  came  more  perfectly  within  this  description  than 
John  Wesley.  It  was  impossible  to  converse  with 
him,  I  might  say  to  look  at  him,  without  being  per- 
suaded, not  only  that  his  heart  and  mind  were  ani- 
mated with  the  purest  and  most  exalted  goodness, 
but  that  the  instinctive  bent  of  his  nature  accorded 
BO  congenially  with  his  Christian  principles  as  to 
give  a  pledge  for  his  practical  consistency  in  which 
it  was  impossible  not  to  place  confidence.  It  would 
be  far  too  little  to  say  that  it  was  impossible  to  sus- 
pect him  of  any  moral  taint ;  for  it  was  obvious  that 
every  movement  bespoke  as  perfect  a  contrariety  to 
all  that  was  earthly  or  animal  as  could  be  imagined 
in  a  mortal  being.  His  countenance,  as  well  as 
conversation,  expressed  an  habitual  gayety  of  heart, 
which  nothing  but  conscious  virtue  and  innocence 
could  have  bestowed.  He  was,  in  truth,  the  most 
perfect  specimen  of  moral  happiness  whom  I  ever 
saw ;  and  my  acquaintance  with  him  has  done  more 
to  teach  me  what  a  heaven  upon  earth  is  implied  in 


20  INTRODUCTION. 

the  maturity  of  Christian  piety,  than  all  I  have  else- 
where seen,  or  heard,  or  read,  except  in  the  sacred 
volume." 

Wesley's  refined  sensibility  to  the  influence  of 
woman  was  too  vivid  not  to  have  inclined  him  to 
marriage,  and  to  the  felicities  of  a  Christian  home. 
As  early  as  his  residence  in  Georgia  he  contracted  a 
matrimonial  engagement,  which  was  broken  off  by 
the  persuasion  of  his  Moravian  associates,  who 
doubted  the  moral  fitness  of  the  lady  to  be  the 
companion  of  such  a  man.  The  slanderous  gossip 
respecting  this  first  "romance"  of  his  life  has  long 
since  been  silenced  by  a  conclusive  refutation,  and 
needs  no  further  attention.  In  1748,  when  forty-five 
years  old,  he  contracted  another  engagement  with 
Mrs.  Grace  Murray,  who  was  then  thirty-three  years 
of  age,  and,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  was  worthy  of 
his  best  regard.  It  was  defeated  by  the  interference 
of  his  brother,  Charles  Wesley,  and  Whitefield.  The 
accounts  of  this  case  show  that  it  was  one  of  genuine 
love,  as  well  as  of  genuine  esteem.  "  I  clearly  per- 
ceived," he  says,  "that  I  had  never  before  had  so 
strong  an  affection  for  any  person  under  heaven."  * 

*  "Narrative  of  a  Remarkable  Transaction  in  the  early  Life  of  John 
Wesley,"  etc.,  from  a  MS.  in  the  British  Museum,  numbered  7,119. 
This  curious  paper  has  been  twice  published.  It  is  not  in  Wesley's 
handwriting,  but  professes  to  be  a  copy  from  his  original  account  of 
the  affair ;  a  poem  at  the  end  (long  before  given  to  the  public  by  his 
biographer,  Henry  Moore)  is  in  his  penmanship.  The  poem  substan- 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

This  romantic  episode  in  the  life  of  the  great  Founder 
has  been  variously  represented  ;  but  every  authenti- 
cated fact  about  it  reflects  most  favorably  on  his  heart 
and  conduct,  as  we  shall  have  occasion  to  show.  It 
is  one  of  the  best  exemplifications  of  Alexander 
Knox's  estimate  of  the  man.  I  have  therefore  treat- 
ed it  somewhat  amply  in  the  sketch  of  Grace  Mur- 
ray, giving  details  never  before  published  in  this 
country.  His  subsequent  marriage,  by  the  advice 
of  his  friend  Perronet,  the  venerable  vicar  of  Shore- 
ham,  became  the  greatest  affliction  of  his  life. 

Wesley's  incorporation  of  female  agency  in  his 
practical  system  has  been  one  of  the  most  effective 
causes  of  the  surprising  success  of  Methodism.  Its 
history  presents  a  long  list  of  women  whose  names 
have  become  household  words  in  the  families  of  the 
denomination,  and  whose  memories  the  Church  will 
never  let  die.  They  rank  from  the  higher  circles  of 
life,  in  which  were  Susanna  Wesley,  (related  to  the 
Earls  of  Anglesea,)  Selina,  Countess  of  Huntingdon, 

tially  agrees  with  the  main  facts  of  the  prose  narrative.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  Wesley  wrote  a  similar  document,  but  I  have  no  doubt  also 
that  this  is  an  interpolated  copy  of  it.  The  document,  as  a  whole, 
does  not  reflect  unfavorably  on  his  moral  character,  but  shows  some 
whimsicalities  and  weaknesses.  It  is  doubtless  a  copy  of  one  of  those 
papers  which  Wesley's  wife,  Mrs.  Vizelle,  carried  away  from  him  and 
notoriously  interpolated.  The  fact  that  the  poem  is  autographic,  while 
the  narrative  is  copied,  confirms  the  suspicion.  It  was  left  to  the 
Museum  by  a  son  of  Mrs.  Yizelle.  See  the  sketch  of  Grace  Murray 
in  this  volume. 


22  INTRODUCTION. 

(remotely  connected  with  the  royalty  of  England,) 
Lady  Fitzgerald,  (of  the  British  Court,)  Lady  Max- 
well, Lady  Glenorchy,  and  others,  down  to  the  hum- 
ble but  saintly  Hester  Ann  Rogers,  Dinah  Evans, 
the  heroine  of  one  of  the  ablest  of  English  fictions, 
the  Dairyman's  Daughter,  a  name  dear  to  Christian 
households  in  all  lands,  and  Barbara  Heck,  the 
obscure  foundress  of  American  Methodism,  venerated 
throughout  a  continent.  Wesley  still  lives  in  the 
ever-living  influence  of  these  "  devout  women,"  and 
through  them  may  yet  be  verified,  to  no  small  extent, 
the  prediction  of  his  most  popular,  but  least  partial, 
biographer,  who  has  said,  "I  consider  him  as  the 
most  influential  mind  of  the  last  century  —  the  man 
who  will  have  produced  the  greatest  effects  centuries, 
or  perhaps  millenniums,  hence,  if  the  present  race  of 
men  should  continue  so  long."*  Methodism  still 
admits  the  Christian  activity  of  woman ;  in  no  relig- 
ious body,  not  even  that  of  Quakerism,  have  her 
powers  more  ample  scope,  and  in  no  other  does  she 
accomplish  more  direct  or  more  important  results. 

*  Kobert  Southey,  "Wilberforce's  Correspondence,  ii,  388. 


WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 


PAET  I 

SUSANNA  WESLEY  AND  WESLEYAN 
METHODISM. 


CHAPTEK  I. 

SUSANNA    WESLEY. 

State  of  Religion  in  England  in  the  last  Century —  Epworth  Rectory — 
Susanna  Wesley  —  Her  early  Life  and  Character  —  Her  Beauty  — 
Her  Husband,  Samuel  Wesley  —  Life  in  the  Rectory — Its  Children 
—  Its  singular  Domestic  System  —  Adam  Clarke's  Opinion  of  the 
Family  —  Mrs.  Wesley's  Religious  Habits  —  The  Rectory  the  Cradle 
of  Methodism  —  Domestic  Trials  —  Mrs.  Wesley's  Influence  upon 
John  Wesley  and  Methodism  —  Her  Death  —  Results  of  her  Agency 
in  the  Religious  World  —  Present  Extent  of  Methodism. 

THE  agency  of  woman,  in  "  The  Religious  Movement 
of  the  Eighteenth  Century,  called  Methodism,"  began 
at  the  very  beginning  of  that  important  movement, 
and  even  prior  to  its  formal  initiation.  At  a  period 
in  the  history  of  England  when  Burnett,  Watts,  and 
Butler  were  mourning  over  the  decay  of  religion — 
the  first  declaring  that  "  imminent  ruin  was  hanging 
over"  the  Anglican  Church,  "and  by  consequence 


24  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

over  the  whole  Reformation ;"  the  second  that  "  re- 
ligion was  dying  in  the  world ;"  the  third  that  "  it 
had  come  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  Christianity  is 
no  longer  a  subject  of  inquiry,  but  is  at  length  dis- 
covered to  be  fictitious" — Divine  Providence  was 
providing,  chiefly  through  the  domestic  piety  of  a 
woman,  for  that  resuscitation  of  spiritual  life  and 
apostolic  propagandism  which  has  ever  since  charac- 
terized most  of  the  Protestant  world.  At  this  very 
time  the  principal  agents  of  Methodism  were  in 
obscure  preparation  in  the  village  of  Ep worth,  a 
rural  community  of  Lincolnshire,  with  a  population 
of  about  two  thousand  souls,  occupied  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  hemp  and  flax.  In  the  household  of  the 
Ep  worth  Rectory  can  be  traced  its  real  origin,  amid 
one  of  those  pictures  of  English  rustic  life  which  have 
so  often  given  a  charm  to  our  literature,  and  which 
form,  perhaps,  the  best  example  of  the  domestic 
virtues  of  religion  that  Christian  civilization  has 
afforded.  Susanna  "Wesley  there  trained  the  founder 
and  legislator  of  Methodism,  and  to  no  inconsiderable 
degree  by  impressing  on  him  the  traits  of  her  own 
extraordinary  character;  and,  under  the  same  nurture, 
grew  up  by  his  side  its  psalmist,  whose  lyrics  were  to 
be  heard,  in  less  than  a  century,  wherever  the  English 
language  was  spoken,  and  to  be  "more  devoutly  com- 
mitted to  memory,"  says  Southey,  and  "oftener  re- 
peated upon  a  death-bed,"  than  any  other  poems. 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  25 

The  mother  of  the  Wesleys  was  the  mother  of 
Methodism,  says  Isaac  Taylor,  who  has  given  us 
the  philosophy  of  its  history,  and  she  properly 
belongs  to  the  foreground  of  our  record.  She  was 
"  nobly  related,"  being  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Annesley,  who  was  the  son  of  a  brother  of  the  Earl 
of  Anglesea.  She  inherited  from  her  father  those 
energetic  traits  of  character  which  she  transmitted 
to  her  most  distinguished  child.  He  accorded  to  his 
daughter  the  independence  of  opinion  which  he 
claimed  for  himself,  and  while  yet  under  his  roof, 
and  not  thirteen  years  old,  she  showed  her  hereditary 
spirit  by  examining  the  whole  controversy  between 
Churchmen  and  Dissenters,  and  by  renouncing,  in 
favor  of  the  Established  Church,  the  opinions  to 
which  her  father  had  devoted  a  life  of  labor  and 
suffering.  The  fact  is  characteristic;  and  judging 
from  the  evidence  of  her  later  history,  she  possessed, 
even  at  this  early  age,  an  unusual  fitness  for  such 
an  investigation.  Devout,  thoughtful,  amiable,  and 
beautiful,  she  was  the  favorite  child  of  her  father, 
and  the  change  of  her  opinions  produced  no  inter- 
ruption of  the  affectionate  ties  which  had  bound 
them  together. 

She  was  married  to  Rev.  Samuel  "Wesley  about 
1689,  when  nineteen  or  twenty  years  of  age.  She 
had  been  thoroughly  educated,  and  was  acquainted 
with  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  French  languages.  She 


26  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

showed  a  discriminative  judgment  of  books  and  men, 
and,  without  any  unique  trait  of  genius,  presents, 
perhaps,  one  of  the  completest  characters,  moral  and 
intellectual,  to  be  found  in  the  history  of  her  sex. 
She  has  left  us  no  proof  of  poetical  talent,  and  the 
genius  of  her  children,  in  this  respect,  seems  to  have 
been  inherited  from  their  father,  whose  passionate 
love  of  the  art,  and  unwearied  attempts  at  rhythm, 
if  not  poetry,  may  also  account  for  the  hereditary 
talent  of  the  family  in  music.  Her  features  were 
slight,  but  almost  classical  in  their  regularity.  They 
were  thoroughly  Wesley  an,  affording  proof  that  John 
Wesley  inherited  from  his  mother  not  only  his  best 
moral  and  intellectual  traits,  but  those  of  his  physi- 
ognomy. They  have  also  an  air  of  that  high-bred 
aristocracy  from  which  she  was  descended.  Adam 
Clarke,  whose  domestic  fondness  shows  him  to  have 
been  no  inapt  judge,  says  she  was  not  only  graceful, 
but  beautiful.  Sir  Peter  Lely,  the  painter  of  the 
"  Beauties "  of  his  age,  has  left  a  portrait  of  one  of 
her  sisters,  who  was  pronounced  a  woman  of  rare 
charms.  "  One,"  says  Clarke,  "  who  well  knew  them 
both,  said,  beautiful  as  Miss  Annesley  appears,  she 
was  far  from  being  as  beautiful  as  Mrs.  Wesley."  * 

*  In  the  "  History  of  the  Religious  Movement  of  the  Eighteenth 
Century,  called  Methodism,"  is  given  a  supposed  portrait  of  Susanna 
Wesley;  it  appeared  first,  in  America,  in  "The  Ladies'  Repository," 
as  genuine,  and  obtained  in  England,  and  the  author  of  the  "History" 
accepted  it  on  this  authority.  Mr.  Kirk  (in  "The  Mother  of  the 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  27 

The  learned  commentator  lingers  with  heartiest  ad- 
miration before  her  image.  He  assures  us  that  he 
could  not  repress  his  tears  while  contemplating  her 
Christian  and  womanly  virtues,  and  her  more  than 
manly  struggles  with  adversity.  "  Such  a  woman," 
he  says,  "  take  her  for  all  in  all,  I  have  not  heard  of, 
I  have  not  read  of,  nor  with  her  equal  have  I  been 
acquainted.  Such  a  one  Solomon  has  described  in 
the  last  chapter  of  his  Proverbs ;  and  to  her  I  can 
apply  the  summed-up  character  of  his  accomplished 
housewife:  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously, 
but  Susanna  Wesley  has  excelled  them  all."  In  his 
comment  on  Solomon's  sketch  of  the  Jewish  matron, 
he  again  refers  to  the  lady  of  Epworth  rectory  as 
the  best  exemplification  he  knew  of  the  scriptural 
portrait. 

An  exact  balance  of  faculties  was  the  chief  charac- 
teristic of  her  intellect.  "With  this  she  combined  a 
profound  piety.  Her  early  interest  in  the  Noncon- 
formist controversy  shows  that  from  her  childhood, 

Wesleys ")  rejects  it,  but  without  stating  his  reasons.  If  the  latter 
are  not  more  plausible  than  his  criticisms  on  the  Wesleyan  resemblance 
of  the  portrait,  they  can  hardly  be  acceptable  to  good  judges.  A  com- 
parison of  the  portrait  with  that  of  John  Wesley,  in  the  same  "  His- 
tory," cannot  fail  to  show  a  striking  similarity  in  almost  every  detail. 
It  is  doubtless  the  portrait  of  a  lady  of  the  Annesley  or  of  the  Wesleyan 
family,  if  not  of  Susanna  Wesley  herself.  Mr.  Kirk  substitutes  a 
portrait  of  the  latter  taken  "in  extreme  old  age"  —  one  of  those 
deformities  which  should  never  disgrace  a  book,  however  valued  on 
the  household  walls. 


28  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

religion,  even  in  some  of  its  intricate  questions,  had 
engaged  her  thoughts.  Her  heathful  common  sense 
is  manifest  in  all  her  allusions  to  the  subject.  Her 
womanly  but  practical  mind  never  fell  into  Mysti- 
cism ;  and  when  her  sons  were  wavering  under  its 
influence  at  Oxford,  her  letters  continually  recalled 
them  to  wholesome  and  scriptural  sentiments.  "I 
take  Kempis,"  she  wrote  to  John,  when  he  was 
poring  over  the  pages  of  the  "  Imitation,"  "  I  take 
Kempis  to  have  been  an  honest,  weak  man,  who  had 
more  zeal  than  knowledge,  by  his  condemning  all 
mirth  or  pleasure  as  sinful  or  useless,  in  opposition 
to  so  many  direct  and  plain  texts  of  Scripture." 
And  again  she  wrote :  "  Let  every  one  enjoy  the 
present  hour.  Age  and  successive  troubles  are  suffi- 
cient to  convince  any  man  that  it  is  a  much  wiser 
and  safer  way  to  deprecate  great  afflictions  than  to 
pray  for  them,  and  that  our  Lord  knew  what  was  in 
man  when  he  directed  us  to  pray,  '  Lead  us  not  into 
temptation.'  I  think  heretic  Clarke,  in  his  exposi- 
tion on  the  Lord's  Prayer,  is  more  in  the  right  than 
Castaniza,  concerning  temptations." 

"With  unusual  sobriety  on  religious  subjects,  she 
united  a  cheerful  confidence  in  her  own  religious 
hopes.  She  consecrated  an  hour  every  morning  and 
evening  to  entire  seclusion  for  meditation  and  prayer; 
her  reflections  at  these  times  were  often  recorded, 
and  present  the  happiest  blending  of  good  sense  and 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  29 

religious  fervor.  "If,"  she  exclaims  in  one  of  her 
evening  meditations,  "if  comparatively  to  despise 
and  undervalue  all  the  world  contains,  which  is  es- 
teemed great,  fair,  or  good;  if  earnestly  and  con- 
stantly to  desire  Thee  —  thy  favor,  thy  acceptance, 
thyself — rather  than  any  or  all  things  thou  hast 
created,  be  to  love  thee  —  I  do  love  thee." 

Her  independent  habit  of  thinking  led  her  early 
to  Socinian  opinions,  but  they  were  abandoned  after 
matured  investigation.  Her  letters  are  marked  not 
only  by  just,  but  often  by  profound,  thought.  She 
projected  several  literary  works,  and  a  fragment 
which  remains,  on  the  "  Apostles'  Creed,"  would  not 
have  been  discreditable  to  the  theological  literature 
of  her  day.  She  had  begun  a  work  on  Natural  and 
Revealed  Religion,  comprising  her  reasons  for  re- 
nouncing Dissent,  and  a  discourse  on  the  Eucharist ; 
but  both  were  destroyed  by  a  fire  which  consumed 
the  rectory. 

Her  husband,  Samuel  Wesley,  was  born  at  Whit- 
church  in  1662,  and  was  her  senior  by  seven  years. 
His  character  was  contrasted  in  important  respects 
with  her  own ;  but  he  shared  fully  her  conscientious 
independence  of  opinion  on  religious  questions. 
With  him,  as  with  her,  this  seems  to  have  been  an 
hereditary  trait,  and  was  transmitted  by  both  to  their 
children.  After  a  brief  residence  in  London  we  find 
him  in  the  curacy  of  South  Ormsby,  near  Epworth, 


30  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

with  fifty  pounds  a  year.  Here  his  family  increased 
to  six  children ;  but,  with  genuine  English  paternity, 
he  welcomed  each  addition  as  a  gift  from  God,  and 
struggled  manfully  to  provide  bread  for  every  new 
comer.  He  says,  in  a  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of 
York,  that  he  had  but  fifty  pounds  a  year  for  six  or 
seven  years  together,  and  one  child,  at  least,  per 
annum.  The  parish  had  been  obtained  for  him  by 
the  Marquis  of  I^ormanby ;  a  characteristic  instance 
of  conduct  led  to  its  resignation.  This  nobleman, 
says  John  "Wesley,,  had  a  house  in  the  parish  where 
a  woman  who  lived  with  him  usually  resided ;  she 
insisted  on  being  intimate  with  Mrs.  Wesley,  but  to 
such  an  intercours'e  the  rector  would  not  submit. 
Coming  in  one  day,  and  finding  the  intrusive  visit- 
ant sitting  with  his  wife,  he  went  up  to  her,  took  her 
by  the  hand,  and  unceremoniously  led  her  out.  The 
nobleman  resented  the  affront,  and  made  it  necessary 
for  Wesley  to  retire  from  the  living.  The  dedication 
of  one  of  his  works  to  Queen  Mary  procured  him  the 
rectory  of  Epworth,  where,  on  two  hundred  pounds 
a  year,  and  the  proceeds  of  his  literary  labors,  he 
sustained  and  educated  his  numerous  family,  amount- 
ing at  last  to  nineteen  children. 

He  did  not  disguise  his  High  Church  and  State 
principles,  and  his  imprudent  political  zeal  involved 
him  in  serious  persecutions.  Besides  the  injuring 
of  his  cattle,  and  the  burning  of  his  house,  the 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  31 

rabble  drummed,  shouted,  and  fired  arms  under  his 
windows  at  night.  Under  the  pretense  of  a  small 
debt  which  he  could  not  at  the  moment  discharge, 
he  was  arrested  while  leaving  his  church,  and 
imprisoned  in  Lincoln  Castle,  where  he  continued 
about  three  months.  But  his  native  spirit  never 
failed  him.  "  Now  I  am  at  rest,"  he  wrote  from 
the  prison  to  the  Archbishop  of  York,  "  for  I  am 
come  to  the  haven  where  I  long  expected  to  be ; 
and,"  he  characteristically  adds,  "  I  don't  despair  of 
doing  good  here,  and,  it  may  be,  more  in  this  new 
parish  than  in  my  old  one."  Like  Goldsmith's  good 
vicar,  he  immediately  became  a  volunteer  chaplain 
to  his  fellow-prisoners.  He  read  prayers  daily,  and 
preached  on  Sundays  to  them.  He  was  consoled 
by  the  fortitude  of  his  noble  wife.  "  'Tis  not  every 
one,"  he  wrote  again  to  the  archbishop,  "  who  could 
bear  these  things ;  but  I  bless  God,  my  wife  is  less 
concerned  with  suffering  them  than  I  am  in  writing, 
or  than  I  believe  your  Grace  will  be  in  reading 
them."  "When  I  came  here,"  he  said  in  another 
letter,  "  my  stock  was  but  little  above  ten  shillings, 
and  my  wife's  at  home  scarce  so  much.  She  soon 
sent  me  her  rings,  because  she  had  nothing  else  to 
relieve  me  with,  but  I  returned  them."  When 
advised  to  remove  from  Epwortb,  on  account  of  his 
persecutions,  he  replied  in  an  answer  which  reminds 
us  of  his  son,  when  hooted  by  later  mobs  in  his  itiii- 


32  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM 

erant  preaching :  "  'Tis  like  a  coward  to  desert  my 
post  because  the  enemy  fires  thick  upon  me.  They 
have  only  wounded  me  yet,  and  I  believe  cannot 
kill  me." 

The  glimpses  which  we  get  from  contemporary 
records  of  the  interior  life  at  the  rectory  of  Ep- 
worth,  give  us  the  image  of  an  almost  perfect 
Christian  household.  If  some  of  its  aspects  appear 
at  times  too  grave,  or  even  severe,  they  are  relieved 
by  frequent  evidence  of  those  home  affections  and 
gayeties  with  which  the  beneficent  instincts  of  human 
nature  are  sure  to  resist,  in  a  numerous  circle  of 
children,  the  religious  austerities  of  advanced  life. 
The  Epworth  rectory  presents,  in  fine,  the  picture 
of  a  domestic  Church,  a  family  school,  and  a  genu- 
ine old  English  household.  Before  the  first  fire  the 
building  was  a  humble  structure  of  wood  and  plas- 
ter, roofed  with  thatch,  and  venerable  with  a  hund- 
red years.  It  boasted  one  parlor,  an  ample  hall,  a 
buttery,  three  large  upper  chambers,  besides  some 
smaller  apartments,  and  a  study,  where  the  studi- 
ous rector  passed  most  of  his  time  in  "  beating 
rhymes  "  and  preparing  his  sermons,  leaving  the  rest 
of  the  house  and  almost  all  indoor  affairs,  as  well  as 
the  management  of  the  temporalities  of  the  glebe 
and  tithes,  to  his  more  capable  wife,  and  fondly 
comforting  himself,  against  the  pinching  embarrass- 
ments of  poverty,  with  the  consolation,  as  he 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  33 

expresses  it  in  a  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  York, 
"that  he  who  is  born  a  poet  must,  I  am  afraid, 
live  and  die  so,  that  is,  poor."  John  Wesley  ex- 
presses admiration  at  the  serenity  with  which  his 
mother  transacted  business,  wrote  letters,  and  con- 
versed, surrounded  by  thirteen  children.  All  the 
children  bore  "  nicknames "  in  the  home  circle,  and 
the  familiar  pseudonyms  'play  fondly  through  the 
abundant  correspondence  which  remains.  Clarke 
assures  us  that  "  they  had  the  common  fame  of 
being  the  most  loving  family  in  the  county  of  Lin- 
coln." The  mother  especially  was  the  center  of  the 
household  affections.  John,  after  leaving  home  for 
his  education,  wrote  to  her,  at  a  time  when  her 
health  was  precarious,  with  pathetic- endearment,  and 
expressed  the  hope  that  he  might  die  before  her,  in 
order  to  escape  the  anguish  of  witnessing  her  end. 
"  You  did  well,"  she  afterward  wrote  him,  "to  cor- 
rect that  fond  desire  of  dying  before  me,  since  you 
do  not  know  what  work  God  may  have  for  you  to 
do  before  you  leave  the  world.  It  is  what  I  have 
often  desired  of  the  children,  that  they  would  not 
weep  at  my  parting,  and  so  make  death  more  un- 
comfortable than  it  would  otherwise  be  to  me." 
The  home  where  such  sentiments  prevailed  could 
not  be  an  austere  one. 

The  children  all  shared  this  filial  tenderness  for 

the    mother.    Martha  (afterward   Mrs.  Hall)  clung 

3 


34  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

to  her  with  a  sort  of  idolatry.  She  would  never 
willingly  be  from  her  side,  says  Clarke ;  and  the 
only  fault  alleged  against  the  parent  was  her  fond 
partiality  for  this  affectionate  daughter.  Several  of 
the  nineteen  children  died  young ;  but  according  to 
the  allusion  of  John  Wesley,  already  cited,  thirteen 
were  living  at  one  time.  Some  of  them  were 
remarkable  for  beauty,  others  for  wit  and  intelli- 
gence. Samuel,  the  eldest  son,  was  poetic  from  his 
childhood,  and  has  left  some  of  the  finest  hymns  of 
the  Methodist  psalmody.  Susanna  (afterward  Mrs. 
Ellison)  is  described  as  "  being  facetious  and  a  little 
romantic ; "  Mary,  though  somewhat  deformed,  as 
"  having  an  exquisitely  beautiful  face  —  a  legible 
index  to  a  mind  almost  angelic,"  and  "one  of  the 
most  exalted  of  human  characters,  full  of  humility 
and  goodness ; "  Mehetabel  (Mrs.  Wright,)  as  able 
in  her  eighth  year  to  read  the  Greek  language,  and 
as  "  gay,  sprightly,  full  of  mirth,  good  humor,  and 
wit,  and  attracting  many  suitors,"  and,  in  later  life, 
an  elegant  woman  "  with  great  refinement  of  man- 
ners, and  the  traces  of  beauty  in  her  countenance." 
She  had  also  an  uncommon  poetic  talent.  The 
few  letters  of  Keziah  that  remain  show  vivacity 
and  vigorous  sense.  Charles  and  John  gave  dis- 
tinct promise,  even  in  the  nursery,  of  their  coming 
greatness.  The  natural  temper  of  the  latter,  in 
youth,  is  described  as  "  gay,  with  a  turn  for  wit  and 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  35 

humor."  The  former  was  exceedingly  sprightly  and 
active,  and  so  remarkable  for  courage  and  skill  in 
juvenile  encounters  that  he  afterward  obtained,  at 
"Westminster,  the  title  of  "  Captain  of  the  school." 
Still  later  he  laments  that  he  lost  his  first  year  at 
Oxford  in  diversions.  Martha,  who  lived  to  be  the 
last  survivor  of  the  original  "Wesley  family,  though 
habitually  sober,  if  not  sad,  amid  the  pastimes  of 
the  home  circle,  had  "  an  innate  horror  of  mel- 
ancholy subjects."  Her  memory  was  remarkable, 
and  was  abundantly  stored  with  the  results  of  her 
studies,  especially  in  history  and  poetry.  Her  good 
sense  and  intelligence  delighted  Johnson  in  discus- 
sions of  theology  and  moral  philosophy.*  Of  wit, 
she  used  to  say,  that  she  was  the  only  one  of  the 
family  who  did  not  possess  it.  Her  brother  Charles 
remarked  that  she  was  "  too  wise  to  be  witty." 

Though  method  prevailed  throughout  the  house- 
hold, its  almost  mechanical  rigor  was  relaxed  at  suit- 
able intervals,  in  which  the  nursery,  with  its  large 
juvenile  community,  became  an  arena  of  hilarious  rec- 
reations, of  "  high  glee  and  frolic."  Games  of  skill, 
and  of  chance  even,  were  among  the  family  pas- 
times, such  as  John  Wesley  afterward  prohibited 
among  the  Methodists.  "While  the  rectory  was  rat- 
tling with  the  "  mysterious  noises,"  so  famous  in  the 

*  Johnson  tried  to  induce  her  to  reside  in  his  hospitable  but 
motley  family  in  Bolt  Court  Boswell  mentions  her  often. 


36  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

family  history,  we  find  the  courageous  daughters 
"  playing  at  the  game  of  cards."  The  educational 
system  at  the  rectory  has  been  the  admiration  of  all 
•who  have  written  respecting  the  Wesley  family.  It 
had  some  extraordinary  points.  It  was  conducted 
solely  by  Mrs.  Wesley,  who  thus  combined  the 
labors  of  a  school  with  the  other  and  numerous 
cares  of  her  household.  She  has  left  a  long  letter 
addressed  to  John  Wesley,  in  which  it  is  fully  de- 
tailed. "  The  children,"  she  says,  "  were  always  put 
into  a  regular  method  of  living,  in  such  things  as 
they  were  capable  of,  from  their  birth ;  as  in  dress- 
ing and  undressing,  changing  their  linen,  etc.  The 
first  quarter  commonly  passes  in  sleep ;  after  that 
they  were,  if  possible,  laid  in  their  cradle  awake, 
and  rocked  to  sleep ;  and  so  they  were  kept  rocking 
until  it  was  time  for  them  to  awake.  This  was  done 
to  bring  them  to  a  regular  course  of  sleeping,  which 
at  first  was  three  hours  in  the  morning,  and  three 
in  the  afternoon;  afterward  two  hours,  till  they 
needed  none  at  all."  When  one  year  old,  and  in 
some  cases  earlier,  they  were  taught  to  "  cry  softly," 
by  which  means  they  escaped  abundance  of  correc- 
tion, and  that  "  most  odious  noise  "  of  the  crying  of 
children  was  rarely  heard  in  the  house ;  but  the 
family  usually  lived  in  as  much  quietness  as  if  there 
had  not  been  a  child  among  them.  Drinking  and 
eating  between  meals  was  never  allowed,  unless  in 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  37 

cases  of  sickness,  which  "  seldom  happened."  They 
retired  at  eight  in  the  evening,  and  were  "  left  in 
their  several  rooms  awake,  for  there  was  no  such 
thing  allowed  in  the  house  as  sitting  by  a  child  till 
it  fell  asleep."  To  subdue  the  will  of  the  child  was 
one  of  her  earliest  tasks,  "  because,"  she  continues, 
"  this  is  the  only  strong  and  rational  foundation  of  a 
religious  education,  without  which  both  precept  and 
example  will  be  ineffectual.  But  when  this  is  thor- 
oughly done,  then  a  child  is  capable  of  being  gov- 
erned by  the  reason  and  piety  of  its  parents  till  its 
own  understanding  comes  to  maturity,  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion  have  taken  root  in  the  mind." 
Her  children  were  taught  to  be  quiet  at  family 
prayer,  and  to  ask  a  blessing  immediately  after,  by 
signs,  before  they  could  kneel  or  speak. 

The  family  school  was  opened  and  closed  with 
singing ;  at  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  all  had  a 
season  of  retirement,  when  the  oldest  took  the 
youngest  that  could  speak,  and  the  second  the  next, 
to  whom  they  read  the  psalm  for  the  day,  and  a 
chapter  in  the  New  Testament.  She  herself  also 
conversed,  each  evening,  with  one  of  her  children, 
on  religious  subjects,  and  on  some  evenings  with 
two,  so  as  to  comprehend  the  whole  circle  every 
week.  Cowardice  and  fear  of  punishment,  she 
remarks,  often  lead  children  to  contract  a  habit  of 
lying,  from  which  it  is  difficult  for  them  to  break 


38  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

away  in  later  life.  To  prevent  this,  a  law  was  made 
that  whoever  was  charged  with  a  fault,  of  which  he 
was  guilty,  should  not  be  chastised  if  he  would 
ingenuously  confess  it,  and  promise  to  amend.  No 
child  was  ever  punished  twice  for  the  same  fault ; 
and  if  he  reformed,  the  offense  was  never  afterward 
upbraided.  Promises  were  to  be  strictly  observed. 
No  girl  was  taught  to  work  till  she  read  correctly ; 
she  was  then  kept  to  her  work  with  the  same  applica- 
tion, and  for  the  same  time  that  she  had  spent  in 
reading.  "  This  rule,"  wisely  remarks  the  mother, 
"  is  much  to  be  observed ;  for  the  putting  children 
to  learn  sewing  before  they  can  read  perfectly,  is  the 
very  reason  why  so  few  women  can  read  in  a  man- 
ner fit  to  be  heard."  None  of  them  were  taught 
to  read  till  they  were  five  years  old,  except  one 
daughter,  and  she  was  more  years  in  learning  than 
any  of  the  rest  had  been  months.  The  day  before 
a  child  began  to  study,  the  house  was  set  in  order, 
every  one's  work  appointed,  and  a  charge  given  that 
none  should  come  into  the  room  from  nine  to 
twelve,  and  from  two  till  five,  which  were  the 
school  hours.  One  day  was  allowed  the  pupil  to 
learn  its  letters,  and  each  of.  them  did  in  that  time 
know  them  all,  except  two,  who  were  a  day  and  a 
half  at  the  task,  "  for  which,"  she  says,  "  I  then 
thought  them  very  dull."  Samuel,  who  was  the 
first  child  thus  taught,  learned  the  alphabet  in  a 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  39 

few  hours.  The  day  after  he  was  five  years  old  lie 
began  to  study,  and  as  soon  as  he  knew  the  letters 
he  proceeded  to  spell  out  the  first  chapter  of  Gen- 
esis. The  same  method  was  observed  by  4;hem  all. 
As  soon  as  they  acquired  the  knowledge  of  the 
alphabet  they  were  put  to  spelling  and  reading  one 
line,  then  a  verse,  never  leaving  it  till  perfect  in 
the  appointed  lesson,  were  it  shorter  or  longer. 

Such  was  the  family  school  at  Epworth.  Who 
can  doubt  that  the  practical  Methodism  of  the  rec- 
tory, more  than  any  other  human  cause,  produced 
the  ecclesiastical  Methodism  which  to-day  is  spread- 
ing the  Wesley  an  name  around  the  world  ?  It  re- 
ceived there,  also,  much  of  its  thoroughly  spiritual 
tone.  Religion  impressed  the  habitual  life  of  the 
family.  Susanna  Wesley  was  its  priestess,  and,  more 
than  the  rector  himself,  ministered  to  its  spiritual 
necessities.  During  his  absence  she  even  opened 
its  doors  for  a  sort  of  public  worship,  which  was 
conducted  by  herself.  She  read  sermons,  prayed, 
and  conversed  with  the  rustic  assembly.  Her  hus- 
band, learning  the  fact  by  her  letters,  revolted,  as  a 
Churchman,  from  its  novelty.  Her  self-defense  is 
characteristically  earnest,  but  submissive  to  his 
authority.  She  states  that  the  measure  was  re- 
claiming many  of  the  common  people  from  immo- 
rality ;  that  it  was  filling  up  the  parish  church ;  that 
some  who  had  not  attended  the  latter  for  years  were 


40  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

now  seen  there.  She  prays  him  to  relieve  her  from 
the  responsibility  of  ending  these  useful  services  by 
assuming  it  himself,  as  her  husband  and  pastor. 
Isaac  Taylor  justly  remarks,  that,  when  in  this 
characteristic  letter  she  said,  "  Do  not  advise,  but 
command  me  to  desist!"  she  was  bringing  to  its 
place  a  corner-stone  of  the  future  Methodism.  "  In 
this  emphatic  expression  of  a  deep  compound  feel- 
ing, a  powerful  conscientious  impulse,  and  a  fixed 
principle  of  submission  to  rightful  authority,  there 
was  condensed  the  very  law  of  her  son's  course,  as 
the  founder  and  legislator  of  a  sect.  This  equipoise 
of  forces,  which,  if  they  act  apart,  and  when  not  thus 
balanced,  have  brought  to  nothing  so  many  hope- 
ful movements,  gave  that  consistency  to  Methodism 
to  which  it  owes  its  permanency." 

Thus  did  this  truly  English  and  Christian  house- 
hold pursue  its  course  of  self-culture.  For  more 
than  forty  years  it  rendered  Epworth  rectory  a 
sanctuary  of  domestic  and  Christian  virtues.  Ten 
of  the  children  attained  adult  years.  All  these  be- 
came devoted  Christians,  and  every  one  of  them 
"  died  in  the  Lord."  "  How  powerful,"  remarks 
their  biographer,  Adam  Clarke,  in  ending  his  almost 
romantic  record,  "  is  a  religious  education ;  and  how 
true  the  saying,  '  Train  up  a  child  in  the  way  he 
should  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart 
from  it.'"  "Such  a  family,"  he  adds,  "I  have 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  41 

never  read  of,  heard  of,  or  known;  nor  since  the 
days  of  Abraham  and  Sarah,  and  Joseph  and  Mary 
of  Nazareth,  has  there  ever  been  a  family  to  which 
the  human  race  has  been  more  indebted." 

Let  us  not  suppose,  however,  that  in  this  rare  pic- 
ture of  Christian  domestic  life  there  were  no  shadows 
contrasted  with  its  tranquil  lights.  It  would  have 
been  less  perfect  without  them.  Samuel  Wesley 
lived  in  continual  conflict  with  pqverty.  He  was 
imprisoned  for  debt,  and  died  in  debt.  His  Epworth 
living,  though  nominally  valued  at  £200,  afforded 
but  about  £130;  and  his  small  adjacent  parish  of 
Wroote  scarcely  more  than  met  its  own  expenses. 
The  economy  by  which  so  large  a  family  was  so  well 
sustained  and  educated  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able facts  in  its  history.  Pressed  on  every  side  by 
want,  suffering  sometimes  from  severe  destitution,  as 
she  has  recorded  in  a  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of 
York,  the  admirable  matron  of  the  rectory  could 
nevertheless  say,  when  more  than  fifty  years  old, 
that  from  the  best  observations  she  had  been  able 
to  make,  she  had  learned  it  was  much  easier  to  be 
contented  without  riches  than  with  them.  Keener 
sorrows  were  often  added  to  their  poverty.  Death 
followed  death  until  nine  children  had  been  borne 
away  from  the  circle.  The  marriages  of  several 
of  the  daughters  were  unfortunate,  and  the  noble 
mother,  in  a  letter  to  her  brother,  writes  with  the 


42  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

anguish  which  only  a  mother  can  know,  for  the  sad- 
dest sorrow  of  a  child :  "  O  sir  !  O  brother !  happy, 
thrice  happy  are  you  ;  happy  is  my  sister  that  buried 
your  children  in  infancy,  secure  from  temptation, 
secure  from  guilt,  secure  from  want  or  shame,  secure 
from  the  loss  of  friends.  Believe  me,  it  is  better  to 
mourn  ten  children  dead  than  one  living,  and  I  have 
buried  many." 

Twice  was  the  rectory  fired  at  night  by  the  rabble 
of  the  parish.  In  the  first  instance  it  was  partly 
consumed,  in  the  second  it  was  totally  destroyed, 
together  with  its  furniture,  and  the  books  and  manu- 
scripts of  the  rector.  The  family  barely  escaped  in 
their  night  garments.  Mrs.  Wesley  was  in  feeble 
health ;  unable  to  climb  with  the  rest  through  the 
windows,  she  was  thrice  beaten  back  from  the 
front  door  by  the  flames.  Committing  herself  to 
God,  she  at  last  waded  through  the  fire  to  the 
street,  scorching  her  face  and  hands.  One  child 
was  missing.  The  father  attempted  several  times 
to  pass  up  the  stairs  to  rescue  him,  but  the 
consuming  steps  could  not  bear  his  weight.  He 
returned  in  despair,  and  kneeling  down  upon  the 
earth,  resigned  to  God  the  soul  of  his  child.  Mean- 
while the  latter  waking  from  his  sleep,  and  finding 
his  chamber  and  bed  on  fire,  flew  to  the  window, 
beneath  which  two  peasants  placed  themselves,  one 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  other,  and  saved  him  at  the 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  43 

moment  that  the  roof  fell  in  and  crushed  the  cham- 
ber to  the  ground.  "Come,  neighbors,"  exclaimed 
the  father,  as  he  received  his  son,  "let  us  kneel 
down ;  let  us  give  thanks  unto  God ;  he  has  given 
me  all  my  eight  children ;  let  the  house  go,  I  am 
rich  enough."  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  devout 
hearts  have  since  repeated  that  thanksgiving.  A 
few  minutes  more  and  the  founder  of  Methodism 
would  have  been,  lost  to  the  world.  In  about  a 
quarter  of  a  century  the  rescued  boy  went  forth 
from  the  cloisters  of  Oxford  to  Moorfields,  to  call 
the  neglected  masses  to  repentance,  and  to  begin 
the  great  work  which  has  rendered  his  family  his- 
torical, not  only  in  -his  owm  country,  but  in  all  Prot- 
estant Christendom. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  trace  the  influence  of 
their  mother  on  the  two  Wesleys  as  affecting  the 
origin  of  Methodism,  but  our  space  will  admit  of 
mere  allusions.  Recalling  John's  providential  escape 
from  the  burning  house,  she  said  in  one  of  the  re- 
corded meditations  of  her  weekly  retirement  and 
prayer  with  him,  "  I  do  intend  to  be  more  par- 
ticularly careful  of  the  soul  of  this  child  that 
thou  hast  so  mercifully  provided  for,  than  ever  1 
have  been,  that  I  may  do  my  endeavor  to  instill 
into  his  mind  the  principles  of  true  religion  and 
virtue.  Lord,  give  me  grace  to  do  it  sincerely  and 
prudently,  and  bless  my  attempt  with  good  success." 


44  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

She  corresponded  with  them  continually  while  they 
were  at  Oxford,  and  really  directed  their  religious 
course.  Her  letters  were  as  full  of  good  sense 
as  of  Christian  feeling.  "  In  good  earnest,"  she 
wrote  to  John,  "resolve  to  make  religion  the  busi- 
ness of  your  life ;  for,  after  all,  that  is  the  one  thing 
that,  strictly  speaking,  is  necessary.  All  things  be- 
sides are  comparatively  little  to  the  purposes  of  life. 
I  heartily  wish  you  would  now  enter  upon  a  strict 
examination  of  yourself,  that  you  may  know  whether 
you  have  a  reasonable  hope  of  salvation  by  Jesus 
Christ.  If  you  have,  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  it 
will  abundantly  reward  your  pains ;  if  you  have  not, 
you  will  find  a  more  reaeonable  occasion  for  tears 
than  can  be  met  with  in  any  tragedy."  He  was 
thus  prompted  to  those  religious  inquiries  which  led 
to  Methodism.  On  examining  the  Calvinistic  con- 
troversy, he  informed  her  of  his  Arminian  conclu- 
sions. She  confirmed  him  in  these  views,  and  ex- 
pressed her  abhorrence  of  the  Calvinistic  theology. 
God's  prescience,  she  argued,  is  no  more  the  effect- 
ive cause  of  the  loss  of  the  wicked  than  our  fore- 
knowledge of  the  rising  of  to-morrow's  sun  is  the 
cause  of  its  rising.  She  prudently  advised,  how- 
ever, abstinence  from  these  speculations  as  "studies 
which  tended  more  to  confound  than  to  inform  the 
understanding."  He  returned  to  Epworth  in  deep 
religious  solicitude,  for  a  period  of  rural  retirement, 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  45 

during  which  he  yielded  perilously  to  Mystical  tend- 
dencies  under  the  influence  of  a  Kempis  and  Law. 
The  turning  point  which  was  to  fit  or  unfit  him 
for  his  great  task  had  not  yet  been  passed.  He 
had  desired  at  one  time  to  try  the  tranquil  life 
of  the  Catholic  recluses ;  "  it  was  the  decided  tem- 
pe^r  of  his  soul,"  he  said.  Seclusion  from  the  world 
for  at  least  some  months  might,  he  hoped,  settle 
his  thoughts  and  habits.  A  school  in  one  of 
the  "Yorkshire  dales"  was  proposed.  His  wiser 
mother  again  stepped  in  to  save  him  for  his 
appointed  career,  prophetically  intimating  that  God 
had  better  work  for  him  to  do.  He  tells  us  him- 
self, that  before  his  return  to  the  university  he 
traveled  some  miles  to  see  a  "  serious  man."  "  Sir," 
said  this  person,  as  if  inspired  at  the  right  moment, 
with  the  right  word,  for  the  man  of  Providence 
standing  before  him ;  "  Sir,  you  wish  to  serve  God 
and  go  to  heaven ;  remember  you  cannot  serve 
him  alone;  you  must  therefore  find  companions, 
or  make  them ;  the  Bible  knows  nothing  of  soli- 
tary religion."  Wesley  never  forgot  these  words. 
They,  perhaps,  forecast  the  history  of  his  life.  On 
reaching  Oxford  he  found  "  companions "  already 
prepared  for  him  by  his  brother's  agency.  The 
"  Holy  Club "  was  now  known  there,  and  the 
epithet  of  "  Methodist "  had  already  been  com- 
mitted to  ecclesiastical  history.  "When  he  reported 


46  WOMEN  OF   METHODTSM. 

to  her  the  formation  of  the  "  Holy  Club "  of 
"  Methodists "  at  Oxford  she  wrote :  "  I  heartily 
join  with  your  small  Society  in  all  their  pious  and 
charitable  actions.  May  you  still,  in  such  good 
works,  go  on  and  prosper !  Though  absent  in  body, 
I  am  present  with  you  in  spirit ;  and  daily  recom- 
mend and  commit  you  all  to  Divine  Providence." 
When  she  was  a  widow,  and  John  and  Charles 
were  called  to  the  colony  of  Georgia  as  mission- 
aries, their  consent  depended  upon  hers;  her  reply 
was  what  might  have  been  expected  from  such  a 
woman :  "  If  I  had  twenty  sons  I  should  rejoice 
that  they  were  all  so  employed,  though  I  should 
never  see  them  again." 

On  their  return  from  America,  still  unregenerate 
men,  as  they  deemed  themselves,  they  were  led, 
chiefly  by  the  guidance  of  the  Moravian  Bishop 
Boehler,  into  a  true  divine  life;  John  immediately 
resorted  to  his  mother,  now  living  in  London,  as  his 
best  counselor.  He  read  to  her  a  paper  recording 
his  late  religious  experience.  She  strongly  approved 
it,  and  said  she  "heartily  blessed  God  who  had 
brought  him  to  so  just  a  way  of  thinking." 

During  the  stirring  events  with  which  Methodism 
was  founded,  Susanna  Wesley  was  providentially 
still  at  hand,  though  in  extreme  age,  to  counsel 
and  encourage  her  son.  She  approved  his  field- 
preaching,  and  accompanied  him  to  Kennington 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  47 

Common,  where  she  stood  by  his  side  amid  twenty 
thousand  people.  Her  son,  Samuel  "Wesley,  with 
whom  she  had  resided  at  Westminster  since  the  dis- 
persion of  the  family  from  Epworth,  remonstrated 
against  her  sanction  of  the  irregular  labors  of  his 
brothers;  but  she  saw  the  overruling  hand  of  God 
in  the  inevitable  circumstances  which  compelled 
them  to  their  extraordinary  course.  A  consultation 
was  held  in  her  presence  respecting  their  separation 
from  the  Fetter-lane  Society,  by  which  Methodism, 
hitherto  blended  with  Moravianism,  took  a  distinct 
stand  for  its  great,  peculiar,  independent  work,  and 
she  approved  that  necessary  measure.  She  had  been 
led,  about  this  time,  by  a  clearer  faith,  to  sympathize 
more  fully  than  ever  with  their  new  views  of  the 
spiritual  life.  John  Wesley  records  a  conversation 
with  her  on  the  subject,  in  which  she  remarked  that 
till  lately  she  had  rarely  heard  of  the  present  con- 
scious forgiveness  of  sins,  or  the  Witness  of  the 
Spirit,  much  less  that  it  was  the  common  privi- 
lege of  all  true  believers.  "  Therefore,"  she  said, 
"  I  never  durst  ask  for  it  myself.  But  two  or  three 
weeks  ago,  while  my  son  Hall,  in  delivering  the  cup 
to  me,  was  pronouncing  these  words :  '  The  blood 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  which  was  given  for  thee,' 
they  struck  through  my  heart,  and  I  knew  that 
God,  for  Christ's  sake,  had  forgiven  me  all  my  sins." 
Wesley  asked  whether  her  father  (Dr.  Annesley)  had 


48  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

not  the  same  faith,  and  if  she  had  not  heard  him 
preach  it  to  others.  She  answered,  he  had  it  him- 
self, and  declared,  a  little  before  his  death,  that  for 
more  than  forty  years  he  had  no  darkness,  no  fear, 
no  doubt  at  all  of  his  being  "accepted  in  the 
Beloved ; "  but  that,  nevertheless,  she  did  not  re- 
member to  have  heard  him  preach  even  once  ex- 
plicitly upon  it ;  whence  she  supposed  he  also  looked 
upon  it  as  the  peculiar  blessing  of  a  few,  and  not  as 
promised  to  all  the  people  of  God.  Doubtless  she 
had  enjoyed  before  this  time  a  genuine  Christian 
experience;  her  writings  incontestably  prove  this; 
her  misgivings  related  to  the  degree  of  confidence 
which  attends  a  true  faith.  The  doctrine  of  Assur- 
ance, or  the  Witness  of  the  Spirit,  as  Wesley  called 
it,  had  always  been  admitted  by  the  Puritan  divines 
of  both  Old  and  New  England ;  but,  as  she  re- 
marked, it  had  not  been  considered  the  privilege 
of  all  true  believers.  At  this  time  the  aged  mother 
of  Wesley  was,  after  a  long  and  faithful  pilgrimage, 
enabled,  "with  humble  boldness,"  to  claim  the  con- 
solation of  that  "  assurance  "  which  she  had  so  long 
hesitated  to  accept.  Such  is  the  only  possible  ex- 
planation of  the  case. 

In  changing  the  Foundry  into  a  chapel,  he  had 
prepared  an  adjacent  house  as  a  residence  for  him- 
self and  his  assistants  in  London.  Hither  his  mother 
now  removed,  and  here  she  spent  her  remaining 


SUSANNA   WESLEY.  49 

days,  sustained  by  his  filial  care,  and  counseling 
him  in  his  new  responsibilities.  She  induced  him 
to  accept  Thomas  Maxwell  as  a  preacher,  and  thus 
really  began  the  lay  ministry  of  Methodism,  the 
most  important  fact  of  its  ecclesiastical  system. 
Having  lingered  till  her  seventy-third  year,  counsel- 
ing and  encouraging  her  sons,  and  having  at  last 
aided  in  securing  the  prospects  of  Methodism  indef- 
initely, if  not  for  all  time,  by  the  introduction  of 
a  lay  ministry,  Susanna  Wesley  died  on  the  premises 
of  the  Foundry,  within  sound  of  the  voices  of  prayer 
and  praise  which  were  ascending  almost  daily  from 
that  memorable  edifice — the  first  Methodist  chapel 
opened  in  the  world,  the  scene  of  the  organization 
of  the  first  of  the  "United  Societies,"  and  of  the 
first  session  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Conference. 
It  was  a  befitting  place  for  the  departure  of  the 
mother  of  the  Wesleys  from  the  Church  on  earth 
to  the  Church  in  heaven.  She  had,  says  Wesley, 
no  doubt,  or  fear,  or  any  desire  but  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ.  He  and  five  of  her  daugh- 
ters stood  around  her  bed  when  she  expired,  on 
the  23d  of  July,  1742.  When  no  longer  able  to 
speak,  but  apparently  still  conscious,  her  look,  calm 
and  serene,  was  fixed  upward,  while  they  com- 
mended her  to  God  in  prayer.  She  died  without 
pain,  and  at  the  moment  of  her  departure  her 

children,  gathering  close  around  her,  sung,  as  she 

4 


50  WOMEN  OP   METHODISM. 

had  requested  -with  her  last  words,  "  a  psalm  of 
praise  to  God."  Followed  by  an  innumerable  con- 
course of  people,  Wesley  committed  her  remains  to 
the  grave,  among  the  many  illustrious  dead  of  Bun- 
hill-fields. 

"What  great  results  have  sprung  from  the  family 
of  this  remarkable  woman,  and  primarily,  as  we 
have  seen  from  her  agency!  By  the  year  of  her 
death  Methodism  had  taken  ineradicable  root  in  the 
British  empire;  it  had  its  societies,  chapels,  and 
itinerant  ministry;  it  was  yet  apparently  feeble, 
but  was  really  fraught  with  vitality,  like  that  which, 
inclosed  in  a  single  acorn,  can  in  due  time  cover 
whole  isothermal  belts  of  the  world  with  forest 
growths,  shaking  like  Lebanon,  and  affording  the 
"wooden  walls"  of  nations.  I  have  lately  had 
occasion  to  trace,  elsewhere,  its  rapid  development,* 
and  to  show  that  it  had  already  become  apparent 
that  a  new  epoch  had  occurred  in  the  history  of 
English  Christianity.  Under  the  influence  of  "White- 
field  and  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon  the  Calvin- 
istic  nonconformity  of  the  realm  was  about  to  arise 
as  from  the  dead  to  new  life,  which  has  continued 
ever  since  with  increasing  vigor ;  by  the  same  means, 
with  the  co-operation  of  "Wesley,  a  powerful  evangel- 
ical party  was  about  to  be  raised  up  in  the  Establish- 
ment, and  most  of  the  measures  of  evangelical  propa- 
*  "  Centenary  of  Methodism,"  etc. 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  51 

gandism  which  have  since  kept  British  Christianity 
alive  with  energy,  and  have  extended  its  activity  to 
the  foreign  world,  are  distinctly  traceable  to  this 
great  "  revival."  Even  Southey,  no  partial  author- 
ity, admits  that  "  to  the  impulse,  which  was  given 
by  Methodism,  that  missionary  spirit  may  be  ascribed 
which  is  now  carrying  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."  Meanwhile  its  re- 
formatory power  among  the  English  common  people 
was  becoming  unquestionable  and  marvelous  to  all 
candid  observers.  At  about  the  end  of  its  first 
decade,  only  eight  years  after  the  death  of  Susanna 
"Wesley,  a  scarcely  paralleled  religious  interest  had 
been  spread  and  sustained  throughout  the  United 
Kingdom  and  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  America. 
Not  only  had  the  Churches  of  both  countries  been 
extensively  reawakened,  but  the  great  fact  of  a  Lay 
Ministry  had  been  permanently  established — great 
not  only  in  its  direct  results,  but  perhaps  more  so  by 
its  reacting  shock,  in  various  respects,  against  the 
ecclesiasticism  which  for  fifteen  hundred  years  had 
fettered  Christianity  with  bands  of  iron.  It  had 
presented  before  the  world  the  greatest  pulpit  orator 
of  the  age,  if  not  of  any  age — Whitefield ;  also  one 
of  the  greatest  religious  legislators  of  history — 
"Wesley ;  a  hymnist  whose  supremacy  has  been  but 
doubtfully  disputed  by  a  single  rival — Charles  Wes- 
ley; and  the  most  signal  example  of  direct  female 


52  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

agency  in  religions  affairs  which  Christian  history 
records — the  Countess  of  Huntingdon.  The  lowest 
abysses  of  the  English  population  among  colliers  and 
miners  had  been  reached  by  the  Gospel.  Calvinistic 
Methodism  was  restoring  the  decayed  nonconformity 
of  England.  "Wesleyan  Methodism,  though  adhering 
to  the  Establishment,  had  taken  an  organic  and 
permanent  form ;  it  had  its  Annual  Conferences, 
Quarterly  Conferences,  Class  Meetings  and  Band 
Meetings ;  its  "Watch-nights  and  Love-feasts ;  its 
Traveling  Preachers,  Local  Preachers,  Exhorters, 
Leaders,  Trustees,  and  Stewards.  It  had  districted 
England,  Wales,  and  Ireland  into  Circuits  for  sys- 
tematic ministerial  labors.  It  had  fought  its  way 
through  incredible  persecutions  and  riots,  and  had 
won  at  last  a  general,  though  not  universal  peace. 
Its  Chapels  and  Preachers'  houses,  or  parsonages, 
were  multiplying  over  the  country.  It  had  a  rich 
Psalmody,  which  has  since  spread  wherever  the 
English  tongue  is  used;  and  a  well  defined  The- 
ology, distinguished  by  two  notable  features  that 
could  not  fail  to  secure  popular  interest,  namely, 
that  it  transcended  the  prevalent  creeds  in  both 
spirituality  and  liberality:  in  its  experimental  doc- 
trines of  Conversion,  Sanctification,  and  the  Witness 
of  the  Spirit,  and  in  the  evangelical  liberalism  of 
its  Arminianism.  It  had  begun  its  present  scheme 
of  Popular  Religious  Literature,  had  provided  the 


SUSANNA  WESLEY.  53 

first  of  that  series  of  Academic  institutions  which, 
has  since  extended  with  its  progress,  and  was  con- 
templating a  plan  of  Ministerial  Educatipn,  which 
has  been  effectively  accomplished.  Already  the 
despondent  declarations  of  "Watts,  Seeker,  and  But- 
ler, respecting  the  prospects  of  religion,  might  be 
pronounced  no  longer  relevant.  Yet  Watts  had 
been  dead  but  two  years,  and  Seeker  and  Butler 
still  survived. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  decade,  the  year  in 
which  it  sent  its  first  missionaries  to  America,  it 
enrolled  more  than  twenty-eight  thousand  members 
and  one  hundred  and  twelve  lay  traveling  preach- 
ers, besides  the  "Wesleys  and  their  clerical  coad- 
jutors. 

The  son  of  Susanna  "Wesley  lived  to  see  his  cause 
established  in  the  United  States  with  an  episcopal 
organization,  planted  in  the  British  North  Ameri- 
can Provinces,  and  in  the  West  Indies,  and  died 
at  last  in  1791,  with  his  system  apparently  com- 
pleted, universally  effective  and  prosperous,  sus- 
tained by  .five  hundred  and  fifty  itinerant  and 
thousands  of  local  preachers,  and  more  than  one 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  members,  and  so  ener- 
getic that  many  men,  who  had  been  his  co-labor- 
•ers,  lived  to  see  it  the  predominant  body  of  Dis- 
senters in  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  British 
Colonies,  the  most  numerous  Church  of  the  United 


54:  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

States  of  America,  and  successfully  planted  on  most 
of  the  outlines  of  the  missionary  world.  And  when 
(in  1839)  its  General  Centenary  was  celebrated,  it 
had  grown  to  more  than  1,171,000  members,  includ- 
ing about  5,200  itinerant  preachers  in  the  Wesleyan 
and  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches ;  and,  comprising 
the  various  bodies  bearing  the  name  of  Methodists,  to 
an  army  of  more  than.  1,400,000,  of  whom  6,080  were 
itinerant  preachers.  Its  missionaries,  accredited  mem- 
bers of 'Conferences,  were  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty,  with  nearly  an  equal  number  of  salaried,  and 
about  three  thousand  unpaid  assistants.  They 
occupied  about  three  hundred  stations,  each  station 
being  the  head  of  a  circuit.  They  were  laboring 
in  Sweden,  Germany,  France,  Cadiz,  Gibraltar, 
Malta,  "Western  and  Southern  Africa,  Ceylon,  Con- 
tinental India,  New  South  Wales,  Yan  Dieman's 
Land,  New  Zealand,  Tonga,  Habai  Islands,  Yavou 
Islands,  Fiji  Islands,  the  West  Indies.  They  had 
under  instruction  in  their  mission  schools  about 
fifty  thousand  pupils,  and  in  their  mission  Churches 
were  more  than  seventy  thousand  communicants. 
At  least  two  hundred  thousand  persons  heard  the 
Gospel  regularly  in  their  mission  chapels.  The 
Methodist  missionaries  were  now  more  numerous 
than  the  whole  Wesleyan  ministry  as  enrolled  on 
the  Minutes  of  the  last  Conference  attended  by 
Wesley,  and  their  missionary  communicants  were 


SUSAJSNA   WESLEY.  55 

about  equal  to  the  whole  number  of  Methodists 
in  Europe  at  that  day.  In  our  day  the  statistical 
strength  of  Methodism  (in  its  various  branches) 
throughout  the  world  is  estimated  "  at  50,000 
preachers,  3,000,000  members,  and  12,000,000  hear- 
ers."* Geographers  give  the  Protestant  population 
of  the  globe  at  80,000,000;  more  than  one  seventh 
of  these  belong  therefore  to  the  congregations  of 
Methodism.  Susanna  "Wesley  is  universally  accred- 
ited, by  Methodist  writers,  as  the  real  foundress  of 
this  mighty  success.  She  planted  its  germ  at  Ep- 
worth;  she  kept  it  alive,  by  her  vigilant  nurture, 
when  it  was  transplanted  to  Oxford;  she  guarded 
and  reared  it  into  mature  strength  in  London ;  and 
her  name  will  be  forever  inseparable  from  that  of 
her  son,  in  the  veneration  of  Methodists  throughout 
the  world. 

*  Tefft's  Methodism,"  eta. 


56  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 


CHAPTEE  II.  , 

MARY  FLETCHER  AND  HER  COMPANIONS. 

Her  Relation  to  "Wesley  —  Her  Character  —  Her  Early  Life  —  Her 
Schools  and  Usefulness  —  Margaret  Lewen  —  Mrs.  Fletcher's  Pub- 
lic Labors  —  Her  Marriage  to  Fletcher  —  Her  Life  at  Madeley  —  Her 
Happy  old  Age  —  Her  Death  —  Madeley  Mementoes  —  Her  Compan- 
ions—  Sarah  Ryan  —  "Wesley's  Letters  to  her  —  Sketch  of  her  Life 

—  Her  Death — Sarah  Crosby — "Wesley's  Correspondence  with  her 

—  Sketch  of  her  Life  —  Her  Death  —  Sarah  Lawrence — Her  Devo- 
tion and  Usefulness — Women  and  Methodism. 

IN  losing  his  mother,  Wesley  lost  his  earliest  and 
best  counselor ;  but  she  had  been  spared  long  enough 
to  see  Methodism  fully  initiated  and  guaranteed  for- 
ever. One  of  his  best,  if  not  one  of  his  earliest,  sub- 
sequent female  associates  in  his  great  work — one 
who  was  to  assist  him  with  her  sympathies  and 
modest  but  effective  co-operation  throughout  his 
long  career,  and  to  witness  the  prosperity  of  his 
cause  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  his 
death — was  Mary  Bosanquet,  the  wife  of  his  friend, 
who  was  the  providentially  appointed  expounder  and 
defender  of  the  Theology  of  Methodism,  John  "Will- 
iam Fletcher.  "With  a  piety  as  fervid  as  any  exam- 
ple recorded  in  the  lives  of  the  canonized  women 
of  Romanism,  she  combined  the  accomplishments 
of  a  refined  education,  which  protected  her  from 


MARY  FLETCHER  AND  HER  COMPANIONS.         57 

the  perils  of  Mysticism,  and  a  habit  of  practical 
usefulness  which  crowned  her  long  life  with  labors 
and  charities.  An  author,*  who  belonged  not  to 
Methodism,  has  said  of  her,  that  "in  the  apostolic 
age  she  would  have  been  a  Priscilla,  and  have  taken 
her  rank  among  the  presbyteresses,  or  female  con- 
fessors of  the  primitive  Church.  Had  she  been  born 
within  the  Romish  communion,  she  would  probably 
have  been  enrolled  among  the  saints  of  the  calendar." 
She  has  left  us  memoirs  of  herself,  written  with  ad- 
mirable simplicity  and  candor,  and  in  a  style  superior 
to  that  of  most  of  the  early  biographies  of  Methodism. 
She  was  born  of  wealthy  parents  in  1739.  "When 
between  seven  and  eight  years  of  age  she  would  often 
"  muse  on  that  thought,  What  can  it  be  to  know  my 
sins  forgiven,  and  to  have  faith  in  Jesus  ? "  The 
inquiry  perplexed  her  dawning  mind,  but  she  was 
enabled  to  cry  out  with  joy,  "I  do,  I  do  rely  on 
Jesus ;  yes,  I  do  rely  on  Jesus,  and  God  counts  me 
righteous  for  what  he  hath  done  and  suffered,  and 
hath  forgiven  all  my  sins."  She  was  surprised,  she 
adds,  that  she  could  not  find  out  this  before.  She 
had  seized  the  profoundest  and  most  distinctive  idea 
of  Christianity. 

Her  family  moved  in  the  circles  of  fashionable  life, 
and  she  was  led  by  them  into  the  gayeties  of  Bath 
and  London — to  the  ball-room  and  the  opera — but 

*  Burder:   "  Pious  Women." 


58  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

her  devout  aspirations  could  not  be  quenched.  A 
Methodist  servant-maid  was  employed  in  the  house- 
hold ;  her  conversations  with  a  sister  of  Mary,  over- 
heard by  the  latter,  confirmed  her  religious  impres- 
sions, and  were,  in  fine,  instrumental  in  determining 
her  subsequent  life. 

Her  girlhood  had  charms,  from  her  affectionate 
and  elevated  character,  if  not  from  her  person,*  and 
she  had  a  suitor  who,  for  his  wealth  and  position, 
was  encouraged  by  her  parents,  but  whose  fashiona- 
ble habits  she  could  not  reconcile  with  her  scriptural 
views  of  religion.  She  became  acquainted  with  some 
intelligent  female  Methodists  of  London,  and  was 
thenceforward  resolute  to  forsake  the  follies  which 
beset  her  condition  in  life.  Walking  in  the  garden 
of  her  father's  country  house  at  Epping  Forest,  she 
recalled  their  religious  conversations.  "  The  pros- 
pect of  a  life  wholly  devoted  to  God"  now  absorbed 
every  other  consideration.  "  Such  a  sweet  sense  of 
God,"  she  says,  "  the  greatness  of  his  love,  and  will- 
ingness to  save  to  the  uttermost,  remained  on  my 
mind,  that  if  I  but  thought  of  the  word  holiness,  or 
of  the  adorable  name  of  Jesus,  my  heart  seemed  to 
take  fire  in  an  instant,  and  my  desires  were  more 
intensely  fixed  on  God  than  ever  I  had  found  them 
before." 

*  Her  ertant  portrait  is  evidently  little  better  than  a  caricature, 
poorly  executed,  and  representing  her  plethoric  and  advanced  in  life. 


MARY   FLETCHER  AND  HER  COMPANIONS.         59 

Her  natural  temperament,  while  favorable  to  piety, 
was  also  liable  to  superstition ;  an  almost  clairvoyant 
nervous  power  seemed  to  belong  to  her  constitution, 
and  the  early  accounts  of  her  relate  marvels  which 
still  puzzle  the  reader ;  but  her  good  sense  and  Chris- 
tian modesty  preserved  her  from  dangerous  delusions 
even  at  this  early  period  of  her  life. 

Her  parents  wished  her  to  accompany  them  to 
Scarborough,  hoping  to  dispel  her  religious  thought- 
fulness  by  its  summer  gayeties ;  but  with  filial  affec- 
tionateness  and  Christian  meekness  she  pleaded  to 
be  spared  what  she  deemed  so  great  a  peril.  She 
was  left  with  her  friends  in  London,  where  she  now 
became  acquainted  with  Sarah  Ryan,  a  woman  of 
remarkable  character,  one  of  "Wesley's  correspond- 
ents, and  formerly  housekeeper  of  his  Kingswood 
school.  At  her  house  Mary  Bosanquet  found  the 
companionship  her  devout  heart  needed.  A  few  of 
the  most  devoted  members  of  the  London  society 
were  frequently  gathered  there.  "  The  more  I  saw 
of  that  family,"  she  says,  "  the  more  I  was  convinced 
Christ  had  yet  a  pure  Church  below;  and  often, 
while  in  their  company,  I  thought  myself  with  the 
hundred  and  twenty  that  waited  to  be  baptized  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Whenever  I  was  from  home  this 
was  the  place  of  my  residence,  and  truly  I  found 
it  to  be  a  little  Bethel." 

One  day  her  father  said  to  her :  "  There  is  a  par- 


60  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

ticular  promise  which  I  require  of  you;  that  is,  that 
you  will  never,  on  any  occasion,  either  now  or  here- 
after, attempt  to  make  your  brothers  what  you  call  a 
Christian."  "  I  answered,"  she  writes,  "  looking  to 
the  Lord,  I  think,  sir,  I  dare  not  consent  to  that." 
He  replied,  "  Then  you  force  me  to  put  you  out  of 
my  house."  "Yes,  sir,"  she  answered,  "according 
to  your  views  of  things,  I  acknowledge  it ;  and  if  I 
may  but  have  your  approval,  no  situation  will*  be 
disagreeable." 

Having  attained  her  majority,  and  possessing  a 
small  fortune  in  her  own  right,  she  removed,  with 
the  approval  of  her  parents,  to  lodgings  at  some  dis- 
tance from  her  father's  house,  and,  securing  a  maid- 
servant, lived  there  in  religious  peace,  devoting  her 
time  to  usefulness,  and  her  income,  above  her  neces- 
sities, to  a  few  poor  widows  whom  she  had  for  some 
time  aided.  "  And  now  that  thought,  I  am  brought 
out  of  the  world,  I  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
be  holy,  both  in  body  and  spirit,  filled  me,"  she 
says,  "  with  consolation  ;  thankfulness  overflowed  my 
heart ;  and  such  a  spirit  of  peace  and  content  flowed 
into  my  soul,  that  all  about  me  seemed  a  little  heaven. 
I  had  now  daily  more  and  more  cause  for  praise. 
I  was  acquainted  with  many  of  the  excellent  of  the 
earth,  and  my  delight  was  in  them.  Yet  I  was  not 
without  my  cross ;.  for  every  time  I  went  to  see  my 
dear  parents,  what  I  felt  when,  toward  night,  I  rose 


MARY  FLETCHER  AND  HER  COMPANIONS.         61 

up  to  go  away,  cannot  well  be  imagined.  Not  that 
I  wished  to  abide  there ;  but  there  was  something  in 
bidding  farewell  to  those  under  whose  roof  I  had 
always  lived  that  used  to  affect  me  much,  though  I 
saw  the  wise  and  gracious  hand  of  God  in  it  all,  and 
that  he  had  by  this  means  set  me  free  for  his  own 
service." 

Thenceforward  her  life  was  one  of  unostentatious 
but  active  devotion  and  benevolence.  She  entered 
fully  into  the  labors  of  the  London  Methodist  soci- 
eties, and  became  a  witness,  through  life  and  in 
death,  for  the  doctrine  of  sanctiflcation,  as  well  as 
justification,  by  faith,  as  taught  by  Wesley.  A 
house  of  her  own  at  Laytonstone,  her  native  place, 
becoming  vacant,  she  removed  thither  with  her 
friend,  Sarah  Ryan,  in  1763,  and  converted  it  into 
a  charity  school  for  destitute  orphans.  It  was  also 
made  a  Methodist  preaching-house,  and  in  a  fort- 
night a  society  of  twenty-five  members  had  been 
formed.  The  institution  at  Laytonstone  became  not 
only  a  refuge  for  orphan  children  and  the  poor,  but 
a  sanctuary  to  the  devout,  and  a  home  for  preachers. 
Its  family  comprised  thirty  persons.  Wesley  visited 
it  in  his  journeys  with  delight.  "I  rode  over  to 
Laytonstone,"  he  writes,  December  12,  1765,  "and 
found  one  truly  Christian  family."  In  1767  he  says: 
"  O  what  a  house  of  God  is  here !  not  only  for 
decency  and  order,  but  for  the  life  and  power  of 


62  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

religion.  1  am  afraid  there  are  very  few  such  to  be 
found  in  all  the  king's  dominions."  Its  unavoidable 
trials  —  within,  from  incompatibilities  of  temper; 
and  without,  from  misconstructions  of  its  design  and 
economy — were  borne  patiently  by  its  benevolent 
proprietress,  and  managed  skillfully  by  her  able 
friend,  whose  experience  at  Kingswood  was  now  of 
valuable  service.  Sarah  Ryan,  after  much  affliction, 
died  a  blessed  death  under  its  roof,  in  1768 ;  and 
other  similar  death  scenes  were  recorded  in  its  inter- 
esting history.  Wesley  says,  in  his  Journal,  October 
31,  1766,  that  he  was  suddenly  called  to  Laytonstone 
to  attend  in  death  Margaret  Lewen,  "  a  pattern  to  all 
young  women  of  fortune  in  England,  a  real  Bible 
Christian.  So  she  '  rested  from  her  labors,  and  her 
works  do  follow  her.' "  Margaret  Lewen  was  a 
wealthy  young  Methodist,  who  lived  and  died  in 
the  family.  She  left  two  thousand  pounds  to  it; 
but  Miss  Bosanquet  did  not  claim  the  legacy,  for 
fear  it  should  be  ascribed  to  her  management  by  the 
family  of  Miss  Lewen.  Her  death  was  remarkable, 
with  some  sad  but  unexplained  incidents;  yet  she 
departed  in  great  triumph.  "When  I  am  dying," 
she  said,  "if  I  cannot  speak,  ask  me  any  question, 
and  if  I  mean  yes,  I  will  hold  up  my  hand,  for  I 
would  wish  to  praise  God  to  the  last."  In  the  even- 
ing she  seemed  just  departing;  her  hostess  asked, 
"'Is  glory  open  before  you?'  She  lifted  up  her 


MARY  FLETCHER  AND  HER  COMPANIONS.         63 

hands,  pointing  with  one  finger,  and  strove  to  speak, 
but  we  could  only  make  out  the  word  '  Glory ;'  the 
joy  of  her  countenance  was  beyond  all  words,  and  in 
this  posture  she  in  one  moment  breathed  her  last." 

The  institution  was  removed  to  Cross  Hall,  in 
Yorkshire,  where  a  large  farm  was  secured  for  it. 
Here  also  it  became  the  center  of  active  religious 
labors.  "Worshipers  flocked  to  its  meetings  from  a 
distance,  so  numerously  that  they  could  not  be  ac- 
commodated ;  and  similar  services  were  established 
by  Miss  Bosanquet  in  various  parts  of  the  county. 
Wesley  visited  Cross  Hall,  as  he  had  Laytonstone, 
and  says,  (July  7, 1770,)  "  It  is  a  pattern,  and  general 
blessing  to  the  country." 

She  was  now  not  only  a  band-leader  and  class- 
leader,  but  a  public  speaker  in  her  numerous  rustic 
assemblies.  Her  assistants  at  Laytonstone,  Miss 
Crosby  and  Miss  Tripp,  followed  her  example  in 

rse  labors,  and  with  great  usefulness.  Her  charac- 
teristic good  sense  and  modesty  secured  her  general 
respect,  notwithstanding  her  extraordinary  coiirse. 
She  and  her  associates  followed  strictly  the  advice 
of  Wesley.  He  had  recorded  the  example  of  his 
own  mother,  who  held  similar  meetings  at  the 
Epworth  Rectory,  and  had  thereby  filled  the  parish 
church.  "  I  think  the  case  rests  here,"  he  wrote ; 
"  in  your  having  an  extraordinary  call.  So  I  am 
persuaded  has  every  one  of  our  lay  preachers ;  other- 


64  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

wise  I  could  not  countenance  his  preaching  at  all. 
It  is  plain  to  me,  that  the  whole  work  of  God  termed 
Methodism  is  an  extraordinary  dispensation  of  his 
providence;  therefore,  I  do  not  wonder  if  several 
things  occur  therein  which  do  not  fall  under  ordi- 
nary rules  of  discipline.  St.  Paul's  ordinary  rule  was, 
*  I  permit  not  a  woman  to  speak  in  the  congregation.' 
Yet,  in  extraordinary  cases,  he  made  a  few  excep- 
tions ;  at  Corinth  in  particular."  The  example  would 
seem  perilous ;  but  under  proper  regulations  it  had 
assumed,  in  the  "  Society  of  Friends,"  even  a  grace- 
ful beauty,  and  was  not  productive  of  extravagances. 
St.  Paul  had  prohibited  women  from  public  inter- 
ference with  Church  affairs;  but  was  his  language 
to  be  literally  and  rigorously  applied  to  cases  like 
these?  Do  we  not  read  of  the  prophetesses  and 
deaconnesses  of  his  times?  Wesley  wrote  to  these 
excellent  ladies :  "  The  difference  between  us  and 
the  Quakers  in  this  respect  is  manifest.  They  flatly 
deny  the  rule  itself,  although  it  stands  clear  in  the 
Bible.  We  allow  the  rule ;  only  we  believe  it  admits 
of  some  exceptions." 

They  did  not  intrude  into  pulpits ;  their  discourses 
were  usually  exhortations,  sometimes  expositions  of 
Holy  Scripture.  In  later  years  Mary  Fletcher  had 
a  seat  elevated  a  step  or  two  above  the  level  of  the 
floor,  whence  she  addressed  the  people  in  the  several 
chapels  which  she  and  her  husband  erected  in  the 


MARY   FLETCHER  AND   HER  COMPANIONS.         65 

vicinity  of  Madeley.  Her  discourses  are  described 
as  luminous  and  truly  eloquent,  displaying  much 
good  sense,  and  fraught  with  the  riches  of  the  Gos- 
pel ;  and  years  later  Wesley  says :  "  Her  words  are 
as  a  fire,  conveying  both  light  and  heat  to  the  hearts 
of  all  that  hear  her."  Her  manner  of  speaking,  he 
writes,  is  "  smooth,  easy,  and  natural,  even  when  the 
sense  is  deep  and  strong."  She  guarded  with  good 
sense  against  excesses  in  her  meetings.  Speaking  of 
one  of  them  she  says :  "  Some  little  touches  of  enthu- 
siasm were  beginning  to  creep  in  among  us,  which 
I  thought  the  more  dangerous,  as  the  meeting  now 
grows  very  numerous,  members  being  added  from 
all  sides.  Yet  it  was  a  great  trial  for  me  to  have  to 
reprove  them:  1.  Because  many  are  much  further 
advanced  in  grace  than  I  am.  2.  I  was  deeply  con- 
scious it  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  subjects  in  the 
world,  and  requires  both  much  wisdom  and  much 
love,  to  extinguish  false  fire,  and  yet  to  keep  up  the 
true.  All  the  day  I  kept  pleading  before  the  Lord, 
mostly  in  these  words  of  Solomon :  *  Ah !  Lord,  how 
shall  I,  who  am  but  a  child,  go  in  and  out  before  this 
thy  chosen  people.' " 

Such  was  the  woman  whom  Fletcher  selected  for 
his  wife;  "a  woman,"  says  Kobert  Southey,  "per- 
fectly suited  to  him  in  age,  temper,  piety,  and 
talents."  Repeated  and  advantageous  offers  of 
marriage  had  been  made  to  her,  but  she  refused 


66  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

them  all  till  the  Yicar  of  Madeley  applied  for  her 
hand.  She  had  known  him  for  twenty-five  years, 
but  had  not  seen  him  for  fifteen  years;  during  all 
this  time  Fletcher  had  loved  her,  and  the  affection 
was  mutual,  though  mutually  unknown.  Her  wealth 
had  kept  him  from  any  overtures.  The  way  now 
fortunately  opened  for  their  union,  and  in  November, 
1781,  they  were  married  in  Batley  Church.  Their 
nuptials  presented  a  scene  befitting  the  Apostolic 
Christians,  or  a  world  of  unfallen  inhabitants.  It 
was  in  the  truest  sense  a  religious  festival.  About 
a  year  afterward  Fletcher  wrote  to  Charles  Wesley, 
who  knew  the  felicity  of  a  happy  marriage :  "  I  thank 
you  for  your  hint  about  exemplifying  the  love  of 
Christ  and  his  Church.  I  hope  we  do.  I  was  afraid 
at  first  to  say  much  of  the  matter,  for  new  married 
people  do  not  at  first  know  each  other;  but  having 
now  lived  fourteen  months  in  my  new  state,  I  can 
tell  you  Providence  has  reserved  a  prize  for  me,  and 
that  my  wife  is  far  better  to  me  than  the  Church  to 
Christ ;  so  that  if  the  parallel  fail,  it  will  be  on  my 
side." 

Fletcher  and  his  wife  were  both  more  active  than 
ever,  in  Christian  usefulness,  during  the  four  years 
of  their  happy  union.  They  opened  new  places  of 
religious  worship  in  Madeley,  and  among  its  neigh- 
boring hamlets.  He  erected  a  chapel  and  school- 
house  in  Madeley  Wood,  in  order  to  secure  Methodist 


MARY  FLETCHER  AND   HER  COMPANIONS.         67 

services  in  the  parish,  if  any  changes  after  his  death 
should  exclude  them  from  its  church;  and  immedi- 
ately subsequent  to  the  origin  of  Sunday-schools,  he 
established  them  in  the  town,  and  quickly  had  three 
hundred  children  under  instruction.  Accompanied 
by  his  wife  he  preached  in  many  places,  and  visited 
Dublin,  where  their  labors  left  a  lasting  blessing  to 
the  Methodist  societies.  One  of  Wesley's  preachers 
records  that  such  a  spirit  of  piety  prevailed  for  sev- 
eral miles  in  and  about  Madeley  as  he  had  nowhere 
else  witnessed.  The  saintly  vicar's  influence  was 
perpetuated  in  the  person  of  his  wife  for  thirty  years 
after  his  death.  Her  home  at  Madeley  was  a  sanc- 
tuary to  the  poor,  to  devout  women,  and  to  the 
itinerant  evangelists.  Many  are  the  allusions  in  the 
contemporary  Methodist  biographies  to  its  Christian 
hospitality,  its  instructive  conversations  about  the 
deep  things  of  God,  its  frequent  meetings  for  prayer 
and  Scripture  exposition  by  its  aged  hostess.  She 
Buffered  much  from  ill  health,  but  continued  her 
preaching  in  the  neighboring  hamlets  as  well  as  at 
home.  She  enjoyed  her  declining  years,  for  they 
were  sunny  with  light  from  heaven.  "  Of  all  my 
situations,"  she  wrote  in  1809,  alluding  to  the  various 
stages  of  her  life,  "  none  has  been  equal  to  this.  O 
the  loving-kindness  of  my  God !  I  am  in  a  most 
peaceful  habitation ;  and  some  of  the  clusters  of 
grapes  from  Canaan  I  do  taste  of,  and  sit  as  on  the 


68  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

banks  of  Jordan,  waiting  to  be  brought  over."  She 
commemorated  yearly,  by  holy  exercises,  the  anni- 
versaries of  her  wedding  and  her  husband's  death. 
On  the  12th  of  November,  in  this  year,  she  writes : 
"  Twenty-eight  years  this  day,  and  at  this  hour,  I 
gave  my  hand  and  heart  to  Jean  Guillaume  de  la 
Flechere.  A  profitable  and  blessed  period  of  my 
life !  I  feel  at  this  moment  a  more  tender  affection 
toward  him  than  I  did  at  that  time,  and  by  faith  I 
now  join  my  hand  afresh  with  his."  She  believed 
that  his  beloved  spirit  still  communed  with  hers,  and 
she  lived  in  habitual  readiness  to  rejoin  him.  Her 
sufferings  increased  as  she  advanced  toward  her  end ; 
but  she  is  able  to  write  as  late  as  July,  1814 :  "  How 
tenderly  the  Lord  deals  with  me !  I  am  very  weak, 
and  yet  am  oft  five  times  in  a  week  able  to  be  at  my 
meetings,  and  I  have  strength  to  speak  so  that  all 
may  hear,  and  the  Lord  is  very  present  with  us. 
Lord,  fill  my  soul  with  abundant  praise ! " 

She  begins  the  next  year,  the  seventy-sixth  of  her 
age,  with  the  record,  "  O  I  long  that  the  year  fifteen 
may  be  the  best  of  all  my  life."  She  was  not  to  be 
disappointed,  for  it  was  to  conclude  her  long  pilgrim- 
age. On  the  14th  of  the  ensuing  August  she  writes : 
"  Thirty  years  this  day  I  drank  the  bitter  cup,  and 
closed  the  eyes  of  my  beloved  husband ;  and  now  I 
am  myself  in  a  dying  state.  Lord,  prepare  me !  I 
feel  death  very  near.  My  soul  doth  wait,  and  long 


MARY   FLETCHER.  69 

to  fly  to  the  bosom  of  my  God  !     Come,  my  adorable 
Saviour !     I  lie  at  thy  feet." 

The  closing  scene  of  her  life  became  more  solemnly 
beautiful  as  its  end  approached.  With  increasing 
illness  she  continued  her  Christian  labors :  "  It  is  as 
if  every  meeting  would  take  away  my  life,"  she  says ; 
"  but  I  will  speak  to  them  while  I  have  my  breath." 
On  the  27th  of  September  she  writes :  "  O  show  thy 
lovely  face!  Draw  me  more  close  to  thyself!  I 
long,  I  wait  for  a  closer  union.  It  is  amazing  under 
how  many  complaints  I  still  live.  But  they  are  held 
by  the  hand  of  the  Lord.  On  the  Monday  evenings 
I  have  had  some  power  to  read  and  speak  at  the 
rooms  till  the  nights  grew  dark;  but  on  Sunday 
noon  I  have  yet  liberty,  though  my  eyes  are  so  bad. 
The  Lord  helps  me  wonderfully.  In  the  class  also, 
in  the  morning,  the  Lord  doth  help."  About  a 
month  later  (October  26)  she  says :  "  I  have  had  a 
bad  night;  but  asking  help  of  the  Lord  for  closer 
communion,  my  precious  Lord  applied  that  word,  '  I 
have  borne  thy  sins  in  my  own  body  on  the  tree.'  I 
felt  his  presence.  I  seem  very  near  death;  but  I 
long  to  fly  into  the  arms  of  my  beloved  Lord.  I  feel 
his  loving-kindness  surrounds  me."  Such  was  the 
last  entry  in  her  Journal.  On  the  9th  of  December 
she  entered  into  her  eternal  rest.  "I  am  drawing 
near  to  glory;"  "There  is  my  home  and  portion 
fair ;"  "  Jesus,  come,  my  hope  of  glory ;"  "  He  lifts 


TO  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

his  hands  and  shows  that  I  am  graven  there,"  were 
among  her  last  utterances.  "The  Lord  bless  both 
thee  and  me,"  she  said  to  a  Christian  friend,  and 
died.  "Her  countenance,"  writes  this  lady,  "was 
as  sweet  a  one  as  was  ever  seen  in  death.  There 
was  at  the  last  neither  sigh,  groan,  or  struggle ;  and 
she  had  all  the  appearance  of  a  person  in  the  most 
composed  slumber." 

Like  her  husband,  she  was  mourned  by  the  whole 
surrounding  community,  for  she  had  been  "  a  burn- 
ing and  a  shining  light "  among  them.  Not  only  by 
her  public  labors,  but  by  her  visits  to  the  afflicted 
and  her  charities  had  she  endeared  herself  to  them. 
Her  chief,  if  not  her  only  fault,  was  her  too  rigorous 
self-denial  for  their  relief.  A  friend,  who  made  up 
her  accounts  for  her  last  year,  reports  that  her  whole 
expenditure,  on  her  own  apparel,  amounted  to  nine- 
teen shillings  and  sixpence.  "Her  expenses  were 
not  always  so  small,"  it  is  added,  "  but  they  never 
amounted  to  five  pounds  per  annum."  Her  "poor 
account "  for  the  same  year  amounted  to  nearly  one 
hundred  and  eighty-two  pounds.  She  lived  only  for 
eternity,  and  thereby  attained  a  happy  life  in  both 
worlds.  Her  public  discourses  were  instructive 
and  impressive,  and  the  good  results  of  the  neigh- 
boring places  of  worship,  established  and  supplied 
by  her  husband  and  herself,  long  remained  visible. 
Hodson,  who  preached  her  funeral  sermon,  says: 


MARY   FLETCHER.  71 

"The  method  she  adopted  was  as  follows:  some- 
times she  read  extracts  from  the  principal  writings 
of  learned  and  pious  men,  making  remarks  as  she 
went  on ;  and  at  the  end  of  each  paragraph  or  sec- 
tion made  a  suitable  improvement.  In  this  way  she 
read  and  enlarged  on  the  memoirs  of  holy  men  and 
women,  showing  how  they  lived  and  how  they  died. 
The  titles  of  Christ,  and  the  relations  in  which  he 
stands  to  believers,  were,  with  her,  favorite  topics. 
On  these  subjects  she  was  not  only  pleasing,  but 
instructive.  Some  of  her  discourses  were  remarka- 
ble for  ingenuity  and  originality.  Had  she  been  a 
woman  of  feeble  mind,  she  could  not  have  retained 
her  influence  and  popularity  for  so  many  years  in 
the  same  place;  for  her  congregations  were  full  as 
large,  after  thirty  years'  labors,  as  when  she  first 
opened  her  commission  among  them."  ""With  re- 
spect to  her  person,"  he  says,  "  she  was  rather  below 
the  middle  size.  Her  appearance  was  noble,  and 
commanded  respect.  Her  face  was  nearly  oval ;  her 
forehead  was  large ;  her  eyes  were  also  large,  prom- 
inent, and  penetrating.  "Whether  she  was  hand- 
some in  her  youth,  I  cannot  say,  but  certainly  she 
was  a  very  fine  old  woman." 

Some  time  after  her  death  Entwisle,  a  Wesleyan 
itinerant,  visited  Madeley.  "  I  preached,"  he  wrote, 
"  in  the  Tythe  Barn,  adjoining  to  the  vicarage,  which 
was  furnished  with  benches  and  a  desk,  with  a  gallery 


72  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

at  one  end,  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fletcher.  Hundreds  of 
people  were  stowed  together,  insomuch  that  I  could 
scarcely  squeeze  through  them  to  the  desk.  The 
barn  seems  to  have  been  built  two  hundred  years; 
it  is  open  to  the  roof,  thatched  with  straw,  and  all 
the  windows,  except  one,  are  made  of  oiled  paper. 
My  soul  was  filled  with  a  pleasingly  awful  sense  of 
the  divine  presence;  and  the  recollection  of  the 
blessed  couple  (though  I  never  saw  their  faces) 
helped  me  while  I  spoke.  It  is  easy  to  preach 
here :  I  could  have  continued  all  night.  The  ap- 
parent seriousness,  earnestness,  and  zeal  of  the  peo- 
ple were  delightful."  He  preached  also  at  Colebrook 
Dale  on  a  week-day,  where  hundreds  crowded  to  hear 
him.  Fletcher  had  provided  this  chapel,  and  hewed 
out  of  the  solid  rock,  with  his  own  hands,  the  first 
stone  for  it.  "When  I  thought,"  says  the  visitor, 
"here  Fletcher  lived  and  labored,  I  breathed  after 
his  spirit.  O  may  I  follow  him  as  he  followed 
Christ!"  The  same  evening  he  preached  in  the 
chapel  in  Madeley  Wood  to  an  immense  crowd,  who 
still  testified,  by  their  earnest  spirit,  to  the  abiding 
influence  of  the  two  departed  saints  who  had  ren- 
dered their  rural  parish  memorable  and  hallowed. 
He  adds :  "  This  chapel  was  also  erected  by  Fletcher, 
as  also  another  by  Mary  Fletcher  in  another  part  of 
the  parish ;  so  that  three  Methodist  chapels  are  pro- 
vided in  Madeley  parish  by  that  blessed  couple,  in 


MARY  FLETCHER.  73 

which  it  is  hoped  the  Gospel  will  be  preached  for 
centuries;  and  if  the  vicarage  barn  be  not  used, 
another  chapel  will  be  built  in  its  stead.  The  pres- 
ent curate  showed  me  the  vicarage,  the  church, 
Fletcher's  entries  of  baptisms  and  burials,  and  his 
tomb.  Everything  about  Fletcher  is  interesting  to 
me.  I  talked  to  the  curate  about  his  soul,  and  what 
I  said  was  attended  with  the  divine  blessing;  he 
went  home  weeping  and  praying.  To  God  be  the 
glory !  To  all  eternity  I  hope  to  praise  God  for  my 
visit  to  the  parish  where  Fletcher  labored  and  died. 
O  may  I  partake  of  his  spirit  more  and  more !  His 
parishioners  seem  to  have  a  good  degree  of  it.  Per- 
haps to  the  end  of  time  the  fruit  of  his  labors  will 
remain,  and  his  memory  be  precious."  A  later  itin- 
erant visiting  the  place,  writes :  "  The  old  church  in 
which  Fletcher  preached  has  been  pulled  down,  and 
a  new  one  built  in  its  place ;  the  '  Barn '  in  which 
Fletcher,  and  afterward  his  wife,  used  to  hold  meet- 
ings for  exposition  and  prayer,  has  been  removed, 
and  the  site  on  which  it  -stood  added  to  an  orna- 
mental garden.  "We  saw  the  study,  and  the  identi- 
cal desk  on  which  he  had  written  his  '  Checks?  and 
other  immortal  productions  of  his  sanctified  genius. 
We  saw,  also,  the  la/ntern  which  this  zealous  evan- 
gelist was  accustomed  to  carry  about  in  the  dark 
nights  to  his  preaching  places,  and  also  to  use  in 
the  morning  before  five  o'clock,  to  call  the  people 


74:  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

from  their  slumbers  to  attend  worship  at  that  early 
hour.  We  were  shown  also  about  fifty  of  Fletcher's 
skeleton  sermons,  most  beautifully  and  neatly  writ- 
ten, and  placed  in  a  cloth  case,  evidently  to  be  car- 
ried in  the  pocket.  Be  assured  we  visited  the  grave 
of  this  glorious  Christian.  The  church-yard  is  most 
beautiful,  if  a  burying-place  can  be  considered  beau- 
tiful. The  tomb  is  plain,  bearing  an  inscription  on 
an  iron  slab  covering  the  masonry,  of  Fletcher  and 
his  remarkable  wife;  while  on  each  side  is  found  a 
memorial  of  Miss  Tooth  and  Sarah  Lawrence.  There 
is  a  sacredness  in  these  things  which  we  cannot,  and 
have  no  desire  to  resist."  * 

For  nearly  half  a  century  the  record  of  Mary 
Fletcher's  saintly  career  has  been  a  familiar  book 
in  Methodist  families  throughout  the  world,  and  has 
tended  to  perpetuate  among  them  the  primitive  spirit 
of  the  denomination.  Of  her  associates  and  assistants 
we  .have  had  some  glimpses  in  the  preceding  narra- 
tive ;  they  were  like-minded  with  herself,  and  some 
of  their  names  are  historical  in  Methodism,  familiar 
in  the  contemporaneous  Methodist  writings.  Her 
peculiar  character  and  habitually  fervid  piety  had  a 
magical  attraction  for  devout  minds  of  her  sex,  and 
gathered  them  about  her  to  share,  not  in  monastic 
rigors,  but  evangelical  devotions  and  useful  labors 
under  her  roof. 

*  Letter  of  Rev.  Dr.  DLxon  to  the  Author. 


SARAH  RYAN.  T5 

SARAH  KYAN,  at  whose  house  she  early  found  a 
religions  asylum  in  London,  who  started  with  her 
the  Laytonstone  establishment,  and  ascended  from 
it  to  heaven,  was  one  of  the  most  notable  of  the 
primitive  Wesleyan  women.  Wesley's  works  retain 
nine  of  his  many  letters  to  her.  He  says,  "  I  can 
hardly  avoid  trembling  for  you  still;  upon  what  a 
pinnacle  do  you  stand !  Perhaps  few  persons  in 
England  have  been  in  so  dangerous  a  situation  as 
you  are  now  ?  I  know  not  whether  any  other  was 
ever  so  regarded  both  by  my  brother  and  me  at  the 
same  time.  What  can  I  do  to  help  you?  The 
Father  of  mercies  help  you,  and  with  his  favorable 
kindness  surround  you  on  every  side!  May  the 
eternal  Spirit  help  you  in  every  thought,  word,  and 
work,  to  serve  the  living  God  ! "  Again  he  writes : 
"  How  did  you  feel  yourself  under  your  late  trial  ? 
Did  you  find  no  stirring  of  resentment?  No  re- 
mains of  your  own  will  ?  No  desire  or  wish,  that 
things  should  be  otherwise?  I  never  saw  you  so 
much  moved  as  you  appeared  to  be  that  evening. 
Your  soul  was  then  greatly  troubled.  And  was  not 
your  heart  unhinged  at  all  ?  Was  it  not  ruffled  or 
discomposed  ?  Was  your  soul  all  the  time  calmly 
stayed  on  God  ?  Most  of  the  trials  you  have  lately 
met  with  have  been  of  another  kind;  but  it  is  ex- 
pedient for  you  to  go  through  both  evil  and  good 
report.  The  conversing  with  you,  either  by  speak- 


76  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

ing  or  writing,  is  an  unspeakable  blessing  to  me. 
I  cannot  think  of  you  without  thinking  of  God. 
Others  often  lead  me  to  him ;  but  it  is,  as  it  were, 
going  round  about — you  bring  me  straight  into  his 
presence."  Again  he  says :  "  O  that  I  could  be  of 
some  use  to  you !  I  long  to  help  you  forward  in  your 
way.  I  want  to  have  your  understanding  a  mere 
lamp  of  light,  always  shining  with  light  from  above ! 
I  want  you  to  be  full  of  divine  knowledge  and  wis- 
dom, as  Jordan  in  the  time  of  harvest.  I  want  your 
words  to  be  full  of  grace,  poured  out  as  precious 
ointment.  I  want  your  every  work  to  bear  the 
stamp  of  God,  to  be  a  sacrifice  of  sweet  smelling 
savor !  Without  any  part  weak,  earthly,  or  human 
— all  holy,  divine!  The  great  God,  your  Father 
and  your  Love,  bring  you  to  this  self-same  thing ! 
Begin  soldier  of  Christ,  child  of  God !  Walk  wor- 
thy of  the  vocation  wherewith  thou  art  called  !  Re- 
member the  faith !  Remember  the  Captain  of  thy  sal- 
vation !  Fight !  conquer !  die — and  live  for  ever ! " 

He  published  her  autobiography  in  his  Armin- 
ian  Magazine.  Her  early  life  was  gay  and  friv- 
olous, though  not  without  severe  afflictions.  "My 
merciful  God,"  she  writes,  "  did  not  leave  me  tc 
follow  my  own  imaginations,  but  often  checked  me 
by  that  thought,  '  Must  all  men  die  ?  Must  all  have 
an  end  ?  And  must  I  die  ? '  Sometimes  I  was  so 
sunk  at  the  thought  as  to  be  truly  miserable."  She 


SARAH  RYAN.  77 

"  had  a  great  love  of  reading ; "  but  the  fascinations 
of  life  incessantly  broke  in  upon  her  good  resolutions 
and  her  frequent  attempts  to  attain  higher  enjoy- 
ment. Methodist  influences  at  last  reached  her. 
She  heard  Wesley  often,  and  while  receiving  the 
Lord's  Supper  from  his  hands  at  the  Old  Foundry, 
received  the  peace  of  God.  But  her  vacillating 
temperament  brought  upon  her  many  spiritual  con- 
flicts and  vicissitudes,  till  she  attained  that  higher 
eanctification  which  was  the  familiar  theme  of  early 
Methodism.  She  could  at  last  write  to  Wesley: 
"  I  find  my  whole  heart  and  affections  entirely 
fixed  on  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  have  no  will,  but  what 
is  conformable  to  his;  no  happiness,  but  in  doing 
his  pleasure.  I  feel  I  am  capable,  yea,  very  capa- 
ble, of  suffering;  and  much  of  this  he  hath  been 
pleased  to  lay  upon  me ;  but  through  all,  my  soul 
sweetly  rests  on  the  bosom  of  my  Beloved.  I  am 
willing  to  be  offered  up  as  a  whole  burnt-sacrifice  to 
him:  and  I  pray,  from  my  inmost  soul,  that  he 
would  withhold  from  me  no  suffering  that  can  work 
for  his  glory,  only  let  his  will  be  done.  To  him  I 
entirely  consecrate  myself;  to  him  be  might,  majesty, 
and  dominion,  now  and  for  evermore ! " 

She  became  the  housekeeper  of  Wesley's  Kings- 
wood  school  for  some  time,  and  afterward  was  the 
faithful  co-laborer  of  Mary  Fletcher  till  her  death 
in  1768.  She  was  pathetically  mourned  by  Mrs. 


78  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

Fletcher,  who  says,  "  She  experienced  in  reality  what 
she  had  seen  in  her  dream,  namely,  that  He  would 

'Kiss  her  raptured  soul  away.' 

She  departed  this  life  in  the  forty-fourth  year  of  her 
age.  Thus  passed  the  dreaded  moment  which  I 
had  for  seven  years  so  painfully  apprehended.  But 
she  had  often  in  her  illness  said  to  me,  '  My  dear 
friend,  I  have  obtained  for  you  of  the  Lord  that 
you  shall  not  be  overcome  of  sorrow ;  therefore  fear 
not,  for  I  know  he  heard  me.'  Her  prayer  was  in 
a  great  degree  answered ;  I  was  not  overcome  of 
Borrow.  The  thought  of  her  long  suffering  and 
present  happiness  much  alleviated  the  bitter  cup 
which  I  had  tasted  of  occasionally  for  some  years. 
My  great  affliction  did  not  come  at  once.  The 
Lord  treated  me  as  we  do  a  child ;  he  put  one 
thing  into  my  hand  to  take  away  another.  I 
thought  I  saw  some  comfortable  prospects  before 
me  in  life,  and  a  vail  was  drawn  over  the  many 
and  great  crosses  which  were  to  follow.  I  prayed 
I  might  be  kept  close  to  the  will  of  God,  and  pre- 
served from  turning  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the 
left,  now  that  I  had  lost  my  spiritual  mother.  But 
I  did  not  wish  to  die,  neither  could  I  get  my  heart 
into  that  spiritual  frame  I  had  enjoyed  in  the  year 
1762,  and  therefore,  being  mingled  with  earth,  I  felt 
all  my  ties  were  not  cut  through.  I  had  sometimes 


SARAH  CROSBY.  79 

conversed  with  her  on  the  subject  of  departed  spirits 
having  communion  with  us,  and  she  used  to  say,  '  If 
it  be  the  will  of  my  heavenly  Father,  I  should  re- 
joice to  communicate  some  comfort  to  you,  either 
in  a  dream  or  any  other  way."  But  I  never  had 
even  the  slightest  remembrance  of  her  in  any  dream 
for  some  months,  though  she  possessed  so  great  a 
share  in  my  waking  thoughts.  I  often  wondered  at 
this,  till  one  night,  I  think  six  months  after  her 
death,  I  thought  she  was  hovering  over  me,  as  in  a 
cloud,  and  from  thence  spoke  in  her  own  voice  some 
lines  in  verse ;  but  I  could  only  retain  the  latter 
part,  which  were  these  words : 

'  Mingled  with  earth  we  can  no  more ; 
But  when  you  worship  God  alone, 
"We  then  shall  mutually  adore.' 

By  which  I  understood  she  meant,  I  was  not  in 
that  purity  which  was  requisite  for  communion  with 
heavenly  spirits ;  but  it  raised  in  my  heart  an  ex- 
pectation that  such  a  season  would  come." 

Such  marvels  were  not  uncommon  to  the  credu- 
lity of  those  times ;  if  our  reason  refuses  the  inter- 
pretation she  gives  it,  our  hearts  will  still  respect 
the  pious  humility  with  which  she  treats  it. 

SARAH  CROSBY  has  already  been  mentioned  as  one 
of  Mary  Fletcher's  assistants ;  she  also  was  a  corre- 
spondent of  Wesley,  and  one  of  his  most  esteemed 
female  co-laborers,  addressing  meetings,  not  only  in 


80  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

houses  but  in  the  fields,  holding  a  service  almost 
daily  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  (as  was  cus- 
tomary among  the  Methodists,  as  well  as  in  the 
afternoon  and  evening.  Wesley  guided  her  in 
these  labors,  and  maintained  an  intimate  Christian 
correspondence  with  her.  "  It  comforts  me,"  he 
wrote,  "to  hear  that  your  love  does  not  decrease; 
I  want  it  to  increase  daily.  Is  there  not  height 
and  depth  in  Him  with  whom  you  have  to  do, 
for  your  love  to  rise  infinitely  higher,  and  to  sink 
infinitely  deeper,  into  him  than  ever  it  has  done 
yet  ?  Are  you  fully  employed  for  him  ?  And  yet 
BO  as  to  have  some  time,  daily,  for  reading  and 
other  private  exercises  ?  If  you  should  grow  cold,  it 
would  afflict  me  much.  Rather  let  me  always  rejoice 
over  you."  Again  he  writes :  "  Hitherto  I  think 
you  have  not  gone  too  far.  You  could  not  well  do 
less.  I  apprehend  all  you  can  do  more  is,  when  you 
meet  again,  to  tell  them  simply,  '  You  lay  me  under 
a  great  difficulty.  The  Methodists  do  not  allow  of 
women-preachers.  Neither  do  I  take  upon  me  any 
such  character.  But  I  will  just  nakedly  tell  you 
what  is  in  my  heart.'  This  will,  in  a  great  measure, 
obviate  the  grand  objection,  and  prepare  for  J.  Hamp- 
son's  coming.  I  do  not  see  that  you  have  broken 
any  law.  Go  on  calmly  and  steadily.  If  you  have 
time,  you  may  read  to  them  the  Notes  on  any  chap- 
ter before  you  speak  a  few  words,  or  one  of  the 


SARAH   CROSBY.  81 

most  awakening  sermons,  as  other  women  have  done 
long  ago."  Again  he  says :  "  You  oblige  me  much 
by  speaking  so  freely.  What  an  admirable  teacher 
is  experience !  You  have  great  reason  to  praise 
God  for  what  he  has  taught  you  hereby,  and  to 
expect  that  he  will  teach  you  all  things.  But 
whatever  you  find  now,  beware  you  do  not  deny 
what  you  had  once  received.  I  do  not  say  '  a 
divine  assurance  that  you  should  never  sin,  or  sus- 
tain any  spiritual  loss?  I  know  not  that  ever  you 
received  this.  But  you  certainly  were  saved  from, 
sin,  and  that  as  clearly,  and  in  as  high  degree,  as 
ever  Sally  Ryan  was.  And  if  you  have  sustained 
any  loss  in  this,  believe,  and  be  made  whole."  Still 
again  he  writes :  "  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  heard 
either  of  you  or  from  you.  I  hope  you  think  of  me 
oftener  than  you  write  to  me.  Let  us  but  continue 
in  prayer, 

'And  mountains  rise,  and  oceans  roll, 
To  sever  us  in  vain.' 

I  frequently  find  profit  in  thinking  of.  you,  and 
should  be  glad  if  we  had  more  opportunities  of  con- 
versing together.  If  a  contrary  thought  arises,  take 
knowledge  from  whom  it  comes.  You  may  judge, 
by  the  fruit  of  it ;  for  it  weakens  your  hands,  and 
slackens  you  from  being  instant  in  prayer.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  I  found  the  effect  of  your  prayer 
at  my  very  entrance  into  this  kingdom  —  Ireland. 


82  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

And  here,  especially,  we  have  need  of  every  help, 
for  snares  are  on  every  side.  Who  would  not,  if  it 
could  be  done  with  a  clear  conscience,  run  out  of 
the  world,  wherein  the  very  gifts  of  God,  the 
work  of  God,  yea,  his  grace  itself,  in  some  sense,  are 
all  the  occasion  of  temptation  ?  I  hope  your  little 
family  remains  in  peace  and  love,  and  that  your 
own  soul  prospers.  I  doubt  only  whether  you  are 
so  useful  as  you  might  be.  But  herein  look  to  the 
anointing  which  you  have  of  God,  being  willing 
to  follow  where  he  leads,  and  it  shall  teach  you  of 
all  things."  In  another  letter  he  says :  "  I  advise 
you,  as  I  did  Grace  Walton  formerly,  1,  pray  in 
private  or  public  as  much  as  you  can ;  2,  even  in 
public,  you  may  properly  enough  intermix  sliort 
exhortations  with  prayer.  But  keep  as  far  from 
what  is  called  preaching  as  you  can.  Therefore 
never  take  a  text.  Never  speak  in  a  continued 
discourse,  without  some  break,  above  four  or  five 
minutes.  Tell  the  people,  '  We  shall  have  another 
prayer-meeting,  at  such  a  time  and  place.'" 

She  wrote,  at  Wesley's  request,  an  account  of  her 
Christian  experience.  Like  her  friend  Sarah  Ryan, 
she  complains  of  the  frivolity  of  her  early  life — her 
passionate  love  of  "  singing,  dancing,  playing  at 
cards,  and  all  kinds  of  diversions."  Her  religious 
awakening  was  profound,  and  her  conversion,  about 
her  twentieth  year,  peculiarly  joyful.  But  she  sub- 


SAKAH  CROSBY.  83 

sequently  passed  through  deep  waters  of  trial. 
"  I  know  not,"  she  writes,  "  that  for  several  years 
after  I  knew  the  Lord,  I  was  ever  a  day  together 
without  being  tempted ;  and  the  inward  conflicts 
I  endured  day  and  night,  added  to  outward  labors 
and  continued  abstinence,  weakened  my  body  and 
hurt  my  constitution  much."  Clearer  light,  at- 
tained by  maturer  experience,  relieved  these  suffer- 
ings. "  I  now  perceived,"  she  adds,  "  that  God  had 
restrained  the  tempter,  and  began  to  inquire  what 
condemnation  there  was  in  my  soul.  There  is  no 
condemnation  to  those  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  How 
is  it  that,  in  all  that  I  have  suffered,  I  have  not  felt 
the  least  inclination  to  turn  back  from  the  path  of 
life,  or  entertained  one  hard  thought  of  God?  I 
then  appealed  to  him,  *  Lord,  dost  thou  not  know 
that  all  my  aims  and  intentions  are  upright  before 
thee?'  and  I  felt  a  witness  in  myself  that  it  was  so. 
I  further  thought,  Has  not  Jesus  Christ  bore  all  my 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree  ?  If  so,  has  he  not 
answered  for  all  my  deviations  from  the  perfect  law 
of  God  too  ?  Then  God  cannot  be  merciful  and 
just  and  send  my  soul  to  hell  •  I  shall  never  go 
there!  I  now  felt  my  soul  fully  cast  on  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  found  a  rest  which  before  I  had  not 
known,  while  peace  and  love  filled  my  heart.  The 
day  after,  at  church,  the  Lord  showed  me  that  many 
things  which  I  had  thought  were  -sins  were  only 


84  WOMEIST  OF  METHODISM. 

temptations,  and  also  what  a  little  thing  it  was  for 
him  to  take  the  root  of  sin  out  of  my  heart.  I 
feared  to  believe  he  had  done  it ;  but  the  next  day 
I  could  not  help  believing  that  God  had  taken 
full  possession  of  my  heart ;  for  although  I  felt 
myself  weaker  than  ever,  yet  the  Lord  was  my 
strength.  Day  and  night  I  was  amazed  at  the 
blessed  change  my  soul  had  experienced ;  but  I  said 
nothing  to  any  one,  because  I  was  not,  as  yet,  sure 
what  the  Lord  had  done  for  me.  I  had  always 
promised,  if  the  Lord  would  but  fully  save  me,  I 
would  declare  his  goodness,  although  I  believed  it 
would  expose  me  to  various  exercises,  both  from 
ministers  and  people.  I  now  prayed  much  that  God 
would  show  me  if  he  had  taken  away  the  root  of 
sin  out  of  my  heart ;  and  also,  if  I  had  been  saved 
from  sin  in  the  temptations  that  were  past.  And 
he  showed  me  that  as  '  many  waters  cannot  quench 
love,  neither  can  the  floods  drown  it;'  so  neither 
had  these  floods  of  temptations,  which  he  had 
brought  me  threugh,  quenched  the  love  he  had 
given  me  to  himself,  for  it  was  love  that  never 
faileth.  I  was  now  exceeding  happy,  yet  I  prayed  if 
any  further  witness  was  necessary  the  Lord  would 
give  it  me.  Soon  after,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone 
around  me.  I  saw  by  faith  the  glory  of  God  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  now  I  was  assured  of  the 
Father's  love.  The  Spirit  then  powerfully  spoke  to 


SARAH  CROSBY.  85 

my  soul,  saying,  '  I  will  dwell  in  thee  forever.'  I 
said  in  my  heart,  '  There  is  no  fear  in  love ;  perfect 
love  casteth  out  fear.'  Frequently  the  Lord  assures 
me  he  will  manifest  himself  more  fully  than  he  has 
yet  done.  This  I  am  waiting  for."  Such  reflections, 
however  mystical  they  may  seem  to  any  of  us,  would 
have  delighted  St.  John  "  the  Divine." 

After  the  removal  of  Mary  Fletcher  to  Madeley  as 
the  wife  of  its  rector,  Sarah  Crosby  devoted  herself 
quite  exclusively  to  public  Christian  labor,  traveling 
from  place  to  place  and  holding  meetings  under  the 
sanction  of  Wesley.  She  had  begun  public  speak- 
ing involuntarily.  "  I  expected,"  she  says,  "  to  meet 
about  thirty  persons  in  class  ;  but,  to  my  great 
surprise,  there  came  near  two  hundred ;  I  found  an 
awful,  loving  sense  of  the  Lord's  presence,  and  was 
much  affected  both  in  body  and  mind.  I  was  not  sure 
whether  it  was  right  for  me  to  exhort  in  so  public  a 
manner,  and  yet  I  saw  it  impracticable  to  meet  all 
these  people  by  way  of  speaking  particularly  to  each 
individual.  I  therefore  gave  out  a  hymn,  and  prayed, 
and  told  them  part  of  what  the  Lord  had  done  for 
myself,  persuading  them  to  flee  from  all  sin." 

Her  journals  show  that  in  a  single  year  she  trav- 
eled nine  hundred  and  sixty  miles  to  hold  two 
hundred  and  twenty  public  meetings,  and  about 
six  hundred  select  meetings,  besides  writing  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  letters,  many  of  them  long 


86  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

ones,  and  holding  many  conversations  in  private, 
with  individuals  who  wished  to  consult  her  on 
religious  subjects. 

In  her  old  age  she  continued  her  labors  as  her 
strength  would  allow.  Miss  Tripp,  her  associate  at 
Mary  Fletcher's  home,  was  still  her  sympathizing 
and  helpful  companion.  When  nearly  seventy  years 
old  she  wrote,  "  My  soul  in  general  dwells  in  peace 
and  love.  I  live  by  faith  in  Jesus,  my  precious 
Saviour,  and  find  my  last  days  are  my  best  days.  I 
am  surrounded  with  mercies.  My  dearest  friend, 
Sister  Tripp's  eare  and  kindness  to  me  is  not  the 
least.  May  God  reward  her,  and  never  let  her  Vant 
a  friend  to  assist  her  in  her  weakness,  if  I  should  be 
first  called  home,  as  it  is  most  likely  I  shall."  Her 
old  friend  was  to  see  her  safe  "  through  the  gates  into 
the  city."  She  writes,  that  "  all  the  week  preceding 
her  death  she  was  indisposed,  but  did  not  abate 
anything  of  her  usual  exercises.  Her  spirit  often 
seemed  on  the  wing,  for  she  frequently  sung  more 
than  she  had  done  for  some  months ;  so  that  I  said, 
'  I  think,  my  dear,  you  have  tuned  your  harp  afresh.' 
On  Saturday  she  wrote  two  letters,  went  to  the 
select  band  in  the  evening,  and  bore  a  blessed  testi- 
mony for  her  Lord.  On  Sunday,  though  poorly, 
she  attended  preaching  forenoon  and  evening  ;  but 
returned,  after  the  evening  meeting,  very  ill,  and  in 
much  pain.  During  the  night  she  prayed  for  her 


SARAH   LAWRENCE.  87 

classes,  bands,  friends,  and  the  Church  of  God,  that 
they  all  might  meet  above.  A  little  before  she  ex- 
expired  she  said  to  one  who  was  present,  '  If  I  had 
strength,  how  I  would  praise  the  Lord ! '  But  at 
eight  o'clock,  having  closed  her  own  eyes  and  mouth, 
she  sweetly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  October  24,  1804,  in 
the  seventy-fifth  year  of  her  age.  So  composed  was 
her  countenance,  that  when  dead  not  the  least  trace 
of  death  was  discernible  on  it." 

By  the  side  of  the  names  of  Fletcher  and  his 
wife,  on  the  tomb  at  Madeley,  is,  as  we  have  seen,  a 
memorial  of  SARAH  LAWRENCE,  a  name  sacredly  asso- 
ciated also  with  the  useful  labors  of  Mary  Fletcher, 
The  latter  conducted  her  with  maternal  care  through 
her  whole  Christian  course,  and  having  seen  her 
enter  safely  into  her  eternal  rest,  wrote  a  brief 
sketch  of  her  life.  "  Sarah  Lawrence,"  she  says, 
"  was  the  niece  of  my  friend  Sarah  Ryan.  Prov- 
idence cast  her  into  our  hands  when  a  little  child. 
As  she  increased  in  years  we  observed  a  remarka- 
bly upright,  obedient  spirit  in  her,  and  a  great 
attachment  to  us.  When  very  young,  she  would 
often  cry  to  the  Lord,  with  great  earnestness,  that 
she  might  never  be  separated  from  me.  Before  she 
was  eight  years  old  she  was  often  under  strong 
convictions  of  sin.  When  she  was  about  ten  years 
of  age,  she  found  a  strong  desire  to  be  devoted  to 
God :  and  when  she  heard  us  read  in  the  family  of 


88  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

the  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  or  of  the  martyrs,  it 
would  kindle  in  her  breast  an  intense  desire  to  suf- 
fer something  for  him  who  had  borne  so  much  for 
her.  When  about  sixteen,  conviction  of  sin  was 
fastened  on  her  mind  more  deeply ;  and  I  have 
heard  her  tell  with  what  earnest  cries  and  tears  she 
used  to  wrestle  with  the  Lord  that  he  would  make 
her  a  Christian  indeed,  and  join  her  to  his  people 
here  and  hereafter.  When  near  eighteen  she  was 
taken  into  the  society,  and  the  June  following  she 
went  to  the  Leeds  Old  Church  to  be  confirmed.  She 
walked  home  again  alone,  about  five  miles,  and  all 
the  way  was  pleading  with  the  Lord,  that  she  might 
never  grow  slack ;  when  she  got  near  home,  the 
word  came  to  her  with  much  power,  '/  will  keep 
thee  as  the  apple  of  mine  eye.''  This  filled  her  soul 
with  delight  and  consolation,  now  firmly  believing 
she  should  be  made  a  true  child  of  God.  Soon  after 
this  she  obtained  a  clear  sense  of  the  forgiveness  of 
her  sins.  And  soon  after  she  saw  it  her  privilege 
to  be  cleansed  from  all  sin.  The  way  in -which  she 
obtained  this  blessing  shall  be  given  in  her  own 
words :  '  One  Wednesday  night,  December  30th, 
1778,  in  that  blessed  meeting  we  used  to  have  once 
a  fortnight  at  Cross  Hall,  where  so  many  were 
blessed,  while  I  was  waiting  on  the  Lord,  and  saw 
myself  as  lying  at  the  pool  longing  for  the  Lord  to 
Bay,  Be  clean,  my  soul  was  engaged  in  fervent 


SARAH  LAWRENCE.  89 

prayer  that  I  might  that  night  be  brought  into  'clear 
liberty ;  and  while  my  dear  mistress  (Miss  Bosan- 
quet)  was  praying,  several  promises  were  applied  to 
my  mind,  such  as,  'Thou  art  dean  through  the  word 
f  have  spoken  unto  theej  etc.  I  now  felt  unbelief 
give  way,  and  was  enabled  to  cast  my  soul  on  the 
perfect  atonement,  and  felt  the  divine  efficacy  of  that 
blood  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin.  From  that  night 
I  felt  a  great  change,  and  began  to  walk  much  more 
closely  with  God  than  I  had  done  before.  That 
which  I  enjoyed  in  justification  was  precious,  but 
this  far  exceeded.  Now  I  could  begin  the  new  year 
with  a  new  heart ;  and  so  powerfully  did  the  love  of 
God  fill  and  enlarge  my  soul,  that  I  was  constrained 
many  times  to  cry  out  in  the  fullness  thereof,  '  Whom 
have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  that  1  desire  besides  thee?  I  could  truly  say, 
*  All  slavish  fear  is  gone  ;  I  have  but  one  fear,  to  dis- 
please that  gracious  God  who  hath  done  so  much  for 
me.'  A  visible  concern  arose  in  her  mind,  more 
forcible  than  ever,  for  the  souls  of  the  people,  and  in 
particular  of  those  of  the  rising  generation.  And  such 
a  gift  was  then  given  her  for  children,  as  I  have  hardly 
seen  in  any  one,  and  a  love  like  that  of  a  parent. 
Next,  the  sick  were  laid  on  her  heart,  and  she  ran  far 
and  near  to  seek  and  to  relieve  tliem,  both  in  soul 
and  body,  insomuch  that  it  greatly  broke  her  little 
strength,  which  was  always  but  small. 


90  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

"  I  have  been  humbled  to  the  dust,"  continues 
Mrs.  Fletcher,  "  at  the  ardent  zeal  and  diligent  ap- 
plication wherewith  she  sought  after  the  good  of 
her  fellow-creatures.  For  reproving  sin,  and  invit- 
ing to  the  means  of  grace,  few  could  equal  her. 
Here  I  did  indeed  see  that  the  spirit  of  my  dear  Mr. 
Fletcher  seemed  to  rest  on  her ;  and,  like  him,  she 
began  a  meeting  in  a  very  hardened  part  of  the 
parish,  with  a  bell  in  her  hand.  She  was  brought 
to  shed  tears  over  them  many  times,  when,  going 
from  door  to  door,  she  entreated  them  to  come,  and 
in  return  met  with  only  reproach  and  rudeness. 
But  that  was  nothing  to  her,  who  sought  no  honor 
but  from  God.  Sometimes  Satan  would  represent 
how  ridiculous  she  appeared  in  their  eyes,  and  when 
strangers  passed  by  in  carriages  they  would  think 
her  mad.  But  as  the  means  she  used  had  been 
instrumental  in  calling  some,  and  had  been  blessed 
to  many,  as  well  as  prevented  much  sin,  she  re- 
joiced to  have  the  honor  of  being  thought  a  fool  for 
Christ ;  and  she  has  told  me  that  it  seemed  she  could 
with  pleasure  submit  to  be  bound  to  a  stake  and 
burned,  if  it  might  draw  these  souls  to  choose  the 
way  of  life.  Indeed,  her  whole  soul  seemed  to  be 
drawn  out  after  the  salvation  of  all  around  her.  She 

• 

began  meetings  in  different  places,  at  which  num- 
bers attended.  Her  method  was,  after  singing  and 
prayer,  to  read  some  life  or  experience,  or  some 


SARAH  LAWRENCE.  91 

awakening  author,  stopping  now  and  then  to  ex- 
plain and  apply  it  as  the  Lord  gave  her  utterance ; 
and  several,  who  are  now  lively  members  in  our 
connection,  were  brought  in  through  that  means.  But 
in  every  step  she  took  she  inquired  of  the  Lord, 
fearing  much  to  take  one  out  of  his  order.  I  could 
never  discern  in  her  any  spirit  but  that  of  the  most 
perfect  deadness  to  the  world,  and  such  a  submis- 
sion to  crosses  of  every  kind  as  augured  to  me  that 
her  will  was  entirely  lost  in  that  of  God.  About 
two  weeks  before  she  died,  after  suffering  much,  one 
night,  from  her  cough  and  other  complaints,  she 
observed,  '  What  a  sweet  night  I  have  had  in  the 
love  of  God !  Such  nearness  to  Jesus,  such  willing- 
ness to  suffer  with  him  did  I  feel,  that  I  praised  the 
Lord  for  every  fit  of  coughing.'  On  Wednesday, 
December  3,  1800,  her  happy  spirit  took  its  flight  to 
feast  with  Jesus's  priests  and  kings." 

Such  are  examples  of  the  womanly  piety  which 
distinguished  Methodism,  and  gathered,  in  a  radiant 
constellation,  around  the  saintly  Mary  Fletcher.  It 
was  with  such  "  devout  women  "  that  much,  most 
indeed,  of  Wesley's  epistolary  correspondence  was 
held.  They  afforded  him  the  most  consolatory 
Christian  sympathy  of  his  long  and  laborious  life. 
They  were  among  the  most  consolatory  proofs  of  the 
divinity  of  the  great  revival  he  was  conducting  through 
proscription  and  persecution,  and  through  mobs 


92  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

which  sometimes  marked  his  course  over  the  United 
Kingdom  with  tumults  little  short  of  civil  war. 
They  were  also  among  its  most  effective  agents,  for 
in  almost  every  considerable  Society  of  the  coun- 
try were  raised  up  similar  elect  ladies,  angels  of 
the  Churches,  to  conduct  its  female  "  classes "  and 
"  bands,"  and  not  unfrequently  to  conduct  more 
public  services.  The  list  is  too  large  for  enurnera- 
ation  here,  but  some  conspicuous  examples  must 
claim  our  further  attention. 


LADY  FITZGERALD.  03 


1 

5 


CHAPTEE  in. 

FURTHER  NOTICES  OF  WESLEYAN  WOMEN. 

g  S 

0  1  vzgerald — Her  Sufferings — Her  Good  Works — Her  Death  by 

Hester  Ann  Rogers  —  Her  Early  Life  —  Her  Conversion  — 

1     ^nesses  Wesley's  Death — Her  own  Death — Elizabeth  Ritchie 

•o  *    iortimer) — Her  Intimate  Relations  with  Wesley — Mysticism 

i    Usefulness — She  resides  with  Wesley  —  Her  Death — Lady 

;  fas  g  Jl  —  Her    Co-operation  with  Wesley  —  Her   Death  —  Grace 

i|       g  ^<-Her  Character  and  Usefulness — Wesley  in  Love  with  her 

isappointment  —  His  Interview  with  her  in  Extreme  Age 

x»rtunate  Marriage  with  Mrs.  Vizelle  —  Dinah  Evans,  the 

f  a   Novel  —  Sketch  of  her  Life  and  Character  —  An 

*  Elizabeth  Wallbridge,  the  Dairyman's  Daughter. 

•nths  before  the  death  of  Mary  Fletcher 
f  her  friends,  who  was  one  of  the  few  of 
ak  whom  Methodism  had  rescued  from  the 
irreligion  of  the  fashionable  life  of  the  day,  and  who 
was  mourned  with  sincere  affection  by  the  Wesleyan 
community.  LADY  MARY  FITZGERALD  had  seen  a 
large  circle  of  her  aristocratic  kindred  wrecked  by  the 
vices  of  the  times.  Few  families  of  the  nobility  pre- 
sented in  that  day  more  melancholy  examples  of 
moral  self-ruin.  Three  of  her  brothers  were  success- 
ively Earls  of  Bristol ;  one  became  infamous  by  his 
domestic  life,  another  died  in  dishonor,  a  deposed 
bishop.  One  of  her  own  sons,  carried  away  by  the 


92  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

which  sometimes  marked  his  course  over  the  United 
Kingdom    with   tumults   little   short  of  civil   war. 
They  were  also  among  its  most  effective  agents,  for 
in  almost  every  considerable  Society  of  the  coun- 
try were  raised  up   similar  elect  ladies,  angels  of 
the  Churches,  to  conduct  its  female  "  classes  "  and  £  ,  * 
"bands,"  and  not    unfrequently  to    conduct/    f?; 
public  services.     The  list  is  too  large  for  e|  ' 
ation  here,  but   some   conspicuous    example 

O        *•*      **      ' 

claim  our  further  attention. 

ftff  i 

.*  •  ~  O      A 


LADY  FITZGERALD.  93 


CHAPTER  in. 

FURTHER  NOTICES  OF  WESLEYAN  WOMEN. 

Lady  Fitzgerald — Her  Sufferings — Her  Good  Works — Her  Death  by 
Fire  —  Hester  Ann  Rogers  —  Her  Early  Life  —  Her  Conversion  — 
She  witnesses  Wesley's  Death — Her  own  Death — Elizabeth  Ritchie 
(Mrs.  Mortimer) — Her  Intimate  Relations  with  Wesley — Mysticism 

—  Her  Usefulness  —  She  resides  with  Wesley  —  Her  Death — Lady 
Maxwell  —  Her    Co-operation  with  Wesley  —  Her   Death  —  Grace 
Murray — Her  Character  and  Usefulness — Wesley  in  Love  with  her 

—  His  Disappointment  —  His  Interview  with  her  in  Extreme  Age 
— His  Unfortunate  Marriage  with  Mrs.  Vizelle  —  Dinah  Evans,  the 
Heroine    of  a   Novel  —  Sketch  of  her  Life  and  Character  —  An 
Account  of  Elizabeth  Wallbridge,  the  Dairyman's  Daughter. 

A  FEW  months  before  the  death  of  Mary  Fletcher 
died  one  of  her  friends,  who  was  one  of  the  few  of 
noble  rank  whom  Methodism  had  rescued  from  the 
irreligion  of  the  fashionable  life  of  the  day,  and  who 
was  mourned  with  sincere  affection  by  the  Wesleyan 
community.  LADY  MARY  FITZGERALD  had  seen  a 
large  circle  of  her  aristocratic  kindred  wrecked  by  the 
vices  of  the  times.  Few  families  of  the  nobility  pre- 
sented in  that  day  more  melancholy  examples  of 
moral  self-ruin.  Three  of  her  brothers  were  success- 
ively Earls  of  Bristol ;  one  became  infamous  by  his 
domestic  life,  another  died  in  dishonor,  a  deposed 
bishop.  One  of  her  own  sons,  carried  away  by  the 


94:  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

tide  of  aristocratic  profligacy,  shot  his  coachman,  and 
was  publicly  hanged.  Her  husband  sunk  under  the 
tide  of  the  prevalent  corruption,  and  she  was  com- 
pelled to  seek  the  protection  of  the  law  against  his 
vices.  Lady  Mary  was  the  daughter  of  John,  Lori 
Hervey,  and  granddaughter  of  John,  Earl  of  Bristol ; 
her  high  position  in  society,  and  at  court  as  Lady  of 
the  Bed-chamber  to  the  Princess  Amelia  Sophia, 
gave  her  ample  means  of  estimating  the  hollow  life 
and  moral  wretchedness  of  the  fashionable  world. 
In  the  prime  of  her  days  she  turned  from  the  glit- 
tering scene  to  the  devout  men  and  women,  Calvin- 
istic  and  Arminian,  who,  under  the  common  title  of 
Methodists,  were  attempting  to  recall  the  country  to 
better  views  of  its  acknowledged  faith.  She  joined 
one  of  Wesley's  societies,  became  a  correspondent  of 
Yenn,  Fletcher,  Brackenbury,  and  other  leaders  of 
the  Methodist  movement,  and  an  ornament  to  the 
circle  of  "  elect  ladies  "  which  gathered  around  Wes- 
ley and  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon.  During  the 
visit  of  Fletcher  and  his  wife  to  Dublin,  she  was  a 
guest  with  them  at  the  same  hospitable  house,  and 
their  friendship  was  terminated  only  by  death.  At  the 
division  between  the  Arminian  and  Calvinistic  Meth- 
odists she  adhered  to  Wesley,  and  notwithstanding 
her  exalted  rank,  lived  and  died  one  of  the  most 
exemplary  members  of  the  Connection.  An  eminent 
divine  of  the  Establishment  says  that  she  ioined 

V  V 


LADY   FITZGEEALD.  95 

herself  to  the  company  of  the  most  excellent  Chris- 
tians of  whom  she  could  hear,  and  became  "  a  com- 
panion of  all  them  that  fear  God  and  keep  his  right- 
eous judgments;"  that  she  "walked  in  newness  of 
life,"  from  "  newness  of  spirit ;"  and  a  new  creed,  a 
new  circle  of  acquaintance,  and  attendance  on  places 
of  worship  of  a  new  description,  constituted  but  a 
very  small  part  even  of  her  outward  change;  that 
the  employment  of  her  whole  time  and  of  her  wealth, 
her  conduct  and  converse  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
and  toward  persons  of  all  ranks  and  characters,  were 
totally  altered ;  that  as  far  as  her  situation  in  the 
attendance  of  a  princess  would  permit,  everything 
splendid  or  expensive  was  wholly  renounced ;  all  the 
pomp  and  decorations  attached  to  her  rank  were  given 
up,  and  a  style  of  simplicity  adopted,  in  all  particulars, 
far  beyond  what  is  usual  among  inferior  professors  of 
the  same  holy  truths,  indeed  even  more  than  in  most 
instances  would  be  desirable ;  but  in  her  case  the 
entire  consistency  of  her  conduct  prevented  all  possi- 
bility of  misconception.  "From  the  time  when  I 
first  had  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  her,"  adds  this  authority,  "she  was, 
in  my  judgment,  as  dead  to  the  world  and  every- 
thing in  it  as  any  person  with  whom  I  ever  con- 
versed." * 

*  Rev.   Thomas  Scott,  who   preached  and  published  her  funeral 
sermon.     Extracts  are  given  in  the  Meth.  Mag.,  1815,  p.  522. 


96  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

Like  her  friend  at  Madeley  she  abounded  in  alms. 
She  retrenched  all  superfluous  expenses,  and  her 
whole  income,  above  her  own  necessities,  was  de- 
voted to  the  poor  and  to  religious  charities.  She  is 
described  as  "  indeed  harmless  and  blameless," 
"  without  rebuke,"  "  shining  as  a  light  in  the  world, 
as  even  they  allowed  who  were  by  no  means  favor- 
able to  her  religious  sentiments ;  an  example  of 
meekness,  affection,  and  propriety  of  conduct  in  all 
the  relations  of  life,  so  that  '  they  who  were  of  the 
contrary  part  had  no  evil  thing  to  say  of  her.'" 
The  same  writer  speaks  of  the  influence  of  her 
religious  conversation  as  singularly  impressive,  and 
says,  "Indeed  I  scarcely  ever  experienced  such  an 
effect  from  any  book  or  sermon  however  excellent. 
There  was,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  a  sort  of  heavenly 
atmosphere  around  her."  "  I  have  known  this  ex- 
cellent lady,"  wrote  another  of  her  friends,  "above 
twenty  years,  and  never  saw  her  superior  in  humility, 
charity,  and  entire  devotedness  to  God.  Her  con- 
versation, her  thoughts,  her  affections  were  in 
heaven."  She  remained,  to  an  extreme  age,  an 
admirable  example  of  the  elder  Methodism,  and 
loved  it  and  its  founder  so  ardently  as  to  order,  in 
her  will,  that  her  corpse  should  be  interred  in  the 
City  Road  Chapel  bury  ing-ground,  among  the  dead 
who  were  endeared  to  her  by  associations  more 
precious  than  those  which  belonged  to  the  sepulchres 


LADY   FITZGERALD.  97 

of  her  titled  kindred.  Benson,  the  Methodist  com- 
mentator, visited  her  a  short  time  before  her  death. 
"  She  is  now  become,"  he  wrote,  "  exceeding  feeble, 
sinking  fast  into  the  grave.  But  her  faculties  do 
not  seem  much,  if  any,  impaired,  save  her  hearing, 
which  is  very  imperfect ;  and  the  graces  of  God's 
Spirit,  especially  humility,  resignation,  and  patience, 
are  in  lively  exercise.  She  is  evidently  ripening  fast 
for  glory ;  and  I  doubt  not,  whenever  she  is  called, 
will  change  mortality  for  life.  Happy  was  the  choice 
she  made  when  she  gave  up  the  gay  world  and  the 
pleasures  of  a  court  for  the  cross  and  the  reproach  of 
Christ."  She  died  a  painful  butjblessed  death.  On 
the  eighth  of  April,  1815,  when  she  was  nearly 
ninety  years  old,  her  clothes  caught  fire,  and  her 
servants,  hastening  to  her,  found  her  wrapped  in 
flames.  She  lingered  till  the  next  day  with  a  faith 
which  triumphed  over  her  agonies.  "  I  might  as 
well  go  home  this  way  as  any  other,"  she  said  to  her 
family.  Her  last  words  were,  "  Come,  Lord  Jesus ! 
my  blessed  Redeemer,  come  and  receive  my  spirit." 
A  monument,*  placed  by  her  family  in  City  Road 
Chapel,  commemorates  her  virtues,  and  testifies  to 
the  Methodists  of  our  day  the  fidelity  of  this  high- 

*  This  monument  adorns  the  southeast  corner  of  City  Road  Chapel. 
It  was  erected  as  a  "  tribute  of  affection  and  veneration  by  her 
grandson,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Thomas  George  Fitzgerald."  See 
Raithby  Hall :  Memorial  Sketches  of  Robert  Carr  Brackenbury, 
Esq.,  by  Mrs.  Richard  Smith,  p.  64.  London,  1859. 

7 


98  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

born  lady  to  their  cause,  in  the  times  when  their 
name  was  an  epithet  of  reproach  and  scorn. 

The  name  of  HESTER  ANN  KOGERS  is  historical  and 
saintly  in  the  early  annals  of  Methodism.  For  more 
than  half  a  century  her  "  Memoirs,"  notwithstanding 
some  marked  defects,  have  had  a  salutary  influence 
on  the  spiritual  life  of  the  denomination,  especially 
among  her  own  sex.  She  was  born  in  Macclesfield, 
England,  in  1756.  When  only  about  nine  years  old 
she  lost  her  pious  father ;  but  his  peaceful  death  left 
an  indelible  impression  on  her  mind.  "As  he  was 
crossing  the  narrow  stream  he  called  his  little  daugh- 
ter's name  aloud,  a»d  when  she  went  to  him  he  took 
her  hand  in  his,  pressing  it  most  affectionately,  and 
said,  '  My  dear  Hetty,  you  look  dejected.  You 
must  not  let  your  spirits  be  cast  down.  God  has 
ever  cared  for  me,  and  he  will  take  care  of  mine. 
He  will  bless  you,  my  dear,  when  I  am  gone.  I 
hope  you  will  be  a  good  child,  and  then  you  will  be 
happy.'  Then,  laying  his  hand  on  her  head,  he 
lifted  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said,  with  the  utmost 
solemnity,  '  Unto  God's  gracious  mercy  and  protec- 
tion I  commit  thee:  the  Lord  bless  and  keep  thee; 
the  Lord  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon 
thee,  and  give  thee  peace,  and  make  thee  his  child 
and  faithful  servant  to  thy  life's  end."  *  Her  habit- 
ual seriousness  induced  her  family  to  send  her  to 
*  Rev.  J.  B.  Wakeley:  "  Excellent  Women,"  etc. 


HESTER  AIS'N   ROGERS.  99 

parties  and  balls  to  divert  her  attention  from  relig- 
ious subjects.  The  expedient  was  effectual,  and  she 
records  that  she  lost  her  interest  in  divine  things, 
and  became  the  gayest  of  the  gay,  addicted  to 
society,  to  extravagant  dress,  to  romances  and 
novels.  Her  prejudice  against  the  Methodists  was 
excessive,  but  on  hearing  one  of  their  devoted  itin- 
erants her  early  religious  interest  revived.  She  was 
now  tried  by  the  severest  tests.  Her  mother  threat- 
ened to  disown  her,  and  most  of  her  friends  to 
forsake  her  if  she  persisted  in  hearing  the  itiner- 
ants. "  She  had  no  acquaintance  with  a  single  Meth- 
odist, and  was  about  to  be  turned  out  of  doors,  and 
had  no  other  home.  She  counted  the  cost,  weighed 
the  issues,  and  concluded  to  attend  to  the  salvation 
of  the  soul  if  every  friend  on  earth  forsook  her. 
She  deliberately  resolved,  at  all  hazards,  to  hear 
the  Methodists  preach  every  time  she  had  an  oppor- 
tunity. Their  preaching  was  made  a  great  blessing 
to  her.  But  the  fearful  storm  of  persecution  arose, 
and  beat  upon  her  defenseless  head.  Her  mother 
was  enraged,  and  would  have  turned  her  out  of  doors 
had  it  not  been  for  the  interposition  of  her  pious 
uncle.  '  What  I  suffered,'  she  says,  '  is  known  only 
to  God.'  There  are  untold  sorrows,  unwritten  suf- 
ferings. For  eight  weeks  they  kept  her  in  close 
confinement  at  home  to  prevent  her  attending 
Methodist  preaching.  Some  time  after  she  reasoned 


100  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

with  her  mother,  and  entreated  her  not  to  confine 
her  any  more,  telling  her  she  must  seek  the  salvation 
of  her  soul,  no  matter  what  the  consequence.  She  in- 
formed her  mother  that  she  was  determined  to  leave 
home,  and  hire  herself  out  as  a  servant,  rather  than 
be  deprived  of  the  privilege  of  worshiping  with  the 
Methodists.  She  had  never  been  accustomed  to 
hard  labor,  and  yet  she  told  her  mother  that,  if  she 
preferred,  she  would  be  her  servant,  and  do  all  the 
work  of  the  house,  if  she  could  only  be  permitted  to 
attend  Methodist  preaching.  After  consultation 
with  friends,  her  mother  agreed  to  this.  For  eight 
months  the  frail  young  woman  cheerfully  did  the 
work  of  a  menial,  till  her  health  failed,  and  the 
physician  protested  against  thus  sacrificing  her  life. 
Her  constitution  was  broken,  and  she  never  fully 
recovered." 

It  was  under  such  sufferings  that  Methodism  led 
her  into  the  path  of  life,  where  she  found  the  "  peace 
that  passeth  understanding."  Even  her  mother 
"  wondered  and  wept "  at  the  narration  of  her  new 
experience,  and  the  radiant  joy  of  her  new  life. 
She  studied  intelligently  the  Methodistic  teachings 
on  Christian  perfection,  and  through  the  remainder 
of  her  life  was  one  of  the  brightest  examples  of 
this  doctrine  that  the  modern  Church  has  afforded. 
In  her  twentieth  year  the  aged  Wesley  visited 
Macclesfield,  and  then  was  formed  that  intimate 


HESTER  ANN  ROGERS.  101 

and  beautiful  friendship  which  ended  only  when, 
as  she  knelt  at  his  bedside,  he  departed  to  the 
Church  triumphant.  Their  correspondence  began 
almost  immediately  after  he  left  Macclesfield.  His 
published  works  include  fifteen  of  his  letters  ad- 
dressed to  her  under  her  maiden  name  as  Hester 
Ann  Roe.  In  the  course  of  this  correspondence  he 
says,  "  Everything  relating  to  you  nearly  concerns  me. 
I  once  thought  I  could  not  be  well  acquainted  with 
any  one  till  many  years  had  elapsed,  and  yet  I  am 
as  well  acquainted  with  you  as  if  I  had  known  you 
from  your  infancy.  You  now  are  my  comfort  and 
joy.  And  I  hope  you  will  be  far  longer  than  this 
little  span  of  life." 

Wesley  promoted  her  marriage,  in  1784,  with 
James  Rogers,  one  of  his  most  effective  preachers, 
of  whom  she  wrote,  in  later  years,  "  The  Lord  gave 
me  a  helpmate  for  glory,  just  such  a  partner  as  my 
weakness  needed  to  strengthen  me."  After  her 
death  he  wrote  of  her  as  one  of  the  best  wives 
"that  man  was  ever  united  to;"  that  in  the  affec- 
tions and  services  of  her  relation  to  him  she  had 
"  seldom  been  equaled,  never  exceeded."  Her  Chris- 
tian labors  in  England  and  Ireland  were  hardly  less 
useful  than  his  own.  As  she  was  an  exemplary  wit- 
ness of  the  Methodist  teachings  respecting  Christian 
perfection,  Fletcher,  of  Madeley,  found  in  her 
religious  conversation  and  correspondence  aid  and 


102  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

consolation  to  his  own  sanctified  spirit.  Being  in 
her  company  on  one  occasion,  he  took  her  by  the 
hand,  after  hearing  her  remarks  on  this  subject,  and 
said :  "  Glory  be  to  God !  for  you,  my  sister,  still 
bear  a  noble  testimony  for  your  Lord.  Do  you 
repent  your  confession  of  his  salvation  ? "  She 
answered,  "  Blessed  be  God,  I  do  not."  When 
departing  he  again  took  her  by. the  hand,  saying, 
with  eyes  and  heart  uplifted,  "  Bless  her,  heav- 
enly Power ! "  "  It  seemed,"  she  writes,  "  as  if  an 
instant  answer  was  given,  and  a  beam  of  glory  let 
down !  I  was  filled  with  deep  humility  and  love ; 
yea,  my  whole  soul  overflowed  with  unutterable 
sweetness."  This  hallowed  and  happy  temper 
marked  her  whole  Christian  life.  She  was  a  class- 
leader,  and  sometimes  had  charge  of  three  of  these 
weekly  meetings,  which  devolved  upon  her  the  spirit- 
ual care  of  nearly  a  hundred  members.  Like  many 
other  early  Methodist  women,  she  addressed  public 
meetings.  Her  discourses  were  remarkable  for  their 
good  sense  and  quiet  moral  power.  Her  prayers 
were  especially  significant  and  impressive ;  "  the 
divine  unction  which  attended  them,  added  to  the 
manner  in  which  she  pleaded  for  instantaneous  bless- 
ings, was,"  says  her  biographer,  "  very  extraordinary, 
and  felt  by  all  present." 

Wesley  was  seventy-three  years  old  when  he  first 
met  her,  and  always  treated  her  as  a  daughter.     Bow- 


HESTER  ANN  ROGERS.  103 

ing  at  last  under  infirmities,  he  wished  her  Christian 
and  womanly  ministries  in  his  own  household,  and 
in  1790,  less  than  a  year  before  his  death,  appointed 
her  husband  to  City  Road  Chapel,  London,  which 
placed  them  in  his  adjacent  parsonage.  She  de- 
scribes this  home  as  a  paradise,  but  in  less  than 
half  a  year  she  was  to  lose  its  venerable  patriarch. 
She  was  by  his  bedside  during  the  solemn  and  sub- 
lime hours  of  that  parting  scene.  "  The  solemnity," 
she  writes,  "of  the  dying  hour  of  that  great  and 
good  man  I  believe  will  be  ever  written  on  my  heart. 
A  cloud  of  the  divine  presence  rested  on  all ;  and 
while  he  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  an  inhabitant  of 
earth,  being  now  speechless,  and  his  eyes  fixed,  vic- 
tory and  glory  were  written  on  his  countenance,  and 
quivering,  as  it  were,  on  his  dying  lips.  No  lan- 
guage can  paint  what  appeared  in  that  face !  The 
more  we  gazed  upon  it  the  more  we  saw  of  heaven 
unspeakable ! " 

In  three  or  four  years  after  Wesley's  departure 
she  rejoined  him  in  heaven.  Her  death  was  full  of 
pathetic  beauty,  though  attended  by  the  saddest 
anguish  of  her  sex.  After  giving  birth  to  her  fifth 
child,  "  she  lay  composed  for  more  than  half  an  hour, 
with  heaven  in  her  countenance,  praising  God  for 
his  great  mercy,  and  expressing  her  gratitude  to  all 
around  her."  She  took  her  husband's  hand,  and 
said,  "  My  dear,  the  Lord  has  been  very  kind  to  us ; 


104  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

O  he  is  good,  he  is  good  !  But  I'll  tell  you  more  by 
and  by."  In  a  few  minutes  afterward  her  whole 
frame  was  thrown  into  a  state  of  agitation  and 
agony.  After  a  severe  struggle  for  about  fifteen 
minutes,  bathed  with  a  clammy,  cold  sweat,  she 
laid  her  head  on  his  bosom,  and  said,  "  I  am  going." 
Subduing  his  alarm,  "  Is  Jesus  precious  ? "  he  asked. 
"  Yes,  yes ;  O  yes,"  she  replied.  He  added :  "  My 
dearest  love,  I  know  Jesus  Christ  has  long  been  your 
all  in  all ;  can  you  now  tell  us  he  is  so ? "  "I  can — 
he  is — yes — but  I  am  not  able  to  speak."  He  again 
said,  "  O  my  dearest,  it  is  enough."  She  then 
attempted  to  lift  up  her  face  to  his,  and  kissed  him 
with  her  quivering  lips  and  last  breath.  She  died 
in  1794,  aged  thirty-nine  years,  during  twenty  of 
which  she  had  walked  continually  with  God,  "  in 
white." 

Not  so  well  known,  but  equally  intimate  with 
Wesley,  and  the  witness  of  his  last  hour,  was  ELIZA- 
BETH RITCHIE,  later  Mrs.  Mortimer.  She  closed  his 
eyes  after  his  departure.  He  left  her  his  gold  seal 
and  other  mementoes.  The  narrative  of  his  last 
days,  which  has  passed  into  history,  was  from  her 
pen.  Twenty-two  of  his  published  letters  are  ad- 
dressed to  her;  their  correspondence  began  about 
two  years  before  that  of  Hester  Ann  'Rogers  with 
him,  and  when  Miss  Ritchie  was  but  twenty  years 
old.  She  was  the  associate  and  habitual  correspond- 


ELIZABETH   RITCHIE.  105 

ent  of  Ladies  Fitzgerald  and  Maxwell,  Mary  Fletcher, 
Hester  Ann  Rogers,  and  indeed  of  most  of  the  emi- 
nent women  of  the  Methodism  of  the  last  century. 
She  was  of  a  good  family,  had  considerable  culture, 
but  was  given  to  the  gayeties  of  life,  and  was  espe- 
cially opposed  to  the  rigorous  teachings  of  Method- 
ism. "  But,"  she  writes,  "  my  poor  mind,  like 
Noah's  dove,  could  find  no  rest."  She  found  at 
last  the  longed-for  peace  in  "  coming  out  from  the 
world,"  and  casting  her  lot  in  with  the  humble 
people  whom  she  had  despised.  She  became  one 
of  the  most  devoted  examples  of  their  strict  but 
cheerful  discipline,  a  model  of  that  "sanctified" 
life  which  they  taught,  a  leader  of  her  sex  in  their 
societies,  and  like  her  friends,  Hester  Ann  Rogers, 
Mary  Fletcher,  and  Sarah  Crosby,  a  conductor  of 
social  religious  services.  She  accompanied  Wesley 
occasionally  in  his  visits  to  various  parts  of  the 
United  Kingdom,  and  co-operated  with  him  in 
effective  labors.  Wesley  took  special  care  to  guide 
such  devoted  and  fervid  minds,  especially  in  their 
aspirations  after  the  highest  spiritual  life.  Few,  if 
any,  of  the  saintly  women  noted  in  early  Methodism 
were  marred  by  the  weaknesses  of  Mysticism ;  he 
not  only  guarded  them  by  prudent  counsels,  but 
perhaps  more  effectually  by  giving  an  habitually 
practical  direction  to  their  zeal  and  energies.  "  The 
word  of  the  Lord  to  you  is,"  he  wrote  to  Eliza- 


106  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

beth  Ritchie,  " '  Feed  my  lambs.'  Methinks  I  see 
you  giving  yourself  up,  as  far  as  possibly  you  can,  to 
that  blessed  work,  carrying  the  weak,  as  it  were,  in 
your  bosom,  and  gently  leading  the  rest  to  the  waters 
of  comfort.  Meantime  your  own  soul  will  enjoy  a 
well  of  water,  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 
Again  he  says :  "  Some  time  since  you  certainly 
were  in  danger  of  exchanging  the  plain  religion  of 
the  Bible  for  the  refined  one  of  Mysticism ;  a  danger 
which  few  can  judge  of  but  those  that  feel  it.  This 
my  brother  and  I  did  for  several  years.  This  scheme 
(especially  as  Madam  Guion  has  polished  and  im- 
proved it)  gives  a  delicate  satisfaction  to  whatever 
of  curiosity  and  self-esteem  lies  hid  in  the  heart.  It 
1  was  particularly  liable  to  make  an  impression  upon 
you,  as  it  came  recommended  by  one  you  had  a 
friendship  for,  whom  you  knew  to  be  upright  and 
sincere,  and  who  had  both  sense  and  a  pleasing 
address.  At  the  'same  time  that  subtle  enemy, 
'  who  beguiled  Eve  by  his  subtlety,'  would  not  fail 
to  enforce  the  temptation.  The  more  reason  you 
have  to  bless  God  that  you  are  delivered  out  of 
the  snare  of  the  fowler." 

In  one  of  her  letters  to  him  she  says :  "  You  ask 
whether  I  am  fully  employed  for  my  good  Master. 
When  I  would  attempt  to  answer,  my  spirit  sinks 
into  confusion  at  his  adorable  feet,  conscious  how 
little  I  am  capable  of  doing  for  him.  Thus  far,  how- 


ELIZABETH  RITCHIE.  107 

ever,  I  can  say  :  In  all  I  do  his  glory  is  my  aim  ;  and 
so  graciously  does  lie  deal  with  me,  that,  when  I  am 
called  to  serve  with  Martha's  hands,  I  feel  a  Mary's 
heart ;  and  when  engaged  more  immediately  in  his 
blessed  service,  it  is  my  delight.  I  remain  your  un- 
worthy child."  After  she  had  traveled  and  labored 
some  years  among  the  societies,  Wesley,  about  to  die, 
urged  her  to  enter  his  household  at  City  Road 
Chapel,  whither  Hester  Ann  Rogers  had  recently 
come.  They  with  similar  women  had  been,  as  we 
have  seen,  among  his  chief  comforters  and  counselors 
during  his  long  career.  He  wished  his  last  days  to  be 
consoled  with  their  converse  and  sympathies.  "  Be- 
lieving," she  writes,  "  it  to  be  my  providential  path,  I 
entered  on  my  new  engagement,  and  found  sufficient 
business  on  my  hands.  The  preacher  who  had 
usually  read  to  Mr.  Wesley  being  absent,  he  said  to 
me,  'Betsey,  you  must  be  eyes  to  the  blind.'  I 
therefore  rose  with  pleasure  about  half  past  five 
o'clock,  and  generally  read  to  him  from  six  till 
breakfast  time.  Sometimes  he  would  converse  freely, 
and  say,  '  How  good  is  the  Lord  to  bring  you  to  me 
when  I  want  you  most !  I  should  wish  you  to  be 
with  me  in  my  dying  moments :  I  would  have  you 
to  close  my  eyes.'  When  the  fullness  of  my  heart 
did  not  prevent  reply,  I  have  said,  'This,  my  dear 
sir,  I  would  willingly  do  ;  but  you  live  such  a  flying 
life,  I  do  not  well  see  how  it  is  to  be  accomplished.' 


108  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

He  would  close  the  conversation  by  adding,  '  Our 
God  does  all  things  well ;  we  will  leave  it  in  his 
hands.'  During  the  two  months  I  passed  under  his 
roof,  which  proved  to  be  the  last  he  spent  on  earth, 
I  derived  much  pleasure  from  his  conversation.  His 
spirit  seemed  all  love ;  he  breathed  the  air  of  para- 
dise, adverting  often  to  the  state  of  separate  spirits. 
'  Can  we  suppose,'  he  would  observe, '  that  this  active 
mind,  which  animates  and  moves  the  dull  matter 
with  which  it  is  clogged,  will  be  less  active  when 
set  free  ?  Surely  no ;  it  will  be  all  activity.  But 
what  will  be  its  employments  ?  "Who  can  tell  ? '  I 
was  greatly  profited  during  this  season.  My  hands 
were  full ;  but  I  felt  the  light  of  the  divine  approba- 
tion shining  on  my  path,  which  rendered  easy  many 
painful  things  I  met  with.  Indeed  I  felt  it  quite  a 
duty  to  let  Mr.  Wesley  want  no  attention  I  could 
possibly  pay  him  :  I  loved  him  with  a  grateful  and 
affectionate  regard,  as  given  by  God  to  be  my  guide, 
my  spiritual  father,  and  my  dearest  friend ;  and  was 
truly  thankful  to  be  assured  that  those  attentions 
were  made  comforts  to  him." 

Her  health  suffered  by  her  grief  for  Wesley's  death. 
"  I  set  off  for  Madeley,"  she  says ;  "  my  spirits  were 
much  affected  on  leaving  London,  especially  the  chapel- 
house.  Life  is  a  vapor ;  all,  all  on  earth  is  shadow. 
Blessed  be  God,  I  hasten  to  a  world  where  all  is 
substance! "  In  the  consecrated  parsonage  at  Made- 


ELIZABETH  BITCHIE.  109 

ley  she  found  consolation  with  Mary  Fletcher  and 
Lady  Mary  Fitzgerald.  In  a  short  time  she  resumed 
her  visitations  and  labors  among  the  societies.  One 
who  witnessed  them  says :  "  As  a  ministering  angel 
she  goes  about  doing  good  to  the  bodies  and  the 
souls  of  her  fellow-creatures.  She  has  a  rare  talent ; 
an  equal  capacity  for  usefulness  in  spiritual  and 
temporal  things ;  a  ready  hand  for  all  the  concerns  of 
life,  while  her  spirit  soars  aloft,  often  enjoys  intimate 
union  with  God,  and  free  admittance  into  his  pres- 
ence, and  worships  there  in  silent  awe,  reverence, 
and  love.  Her  deportment  operates  upon  my  mind 
at  present  as  a  reproof  for  not  having  made  the  best 
use  of  life,  and  the  best  of  my  way  to  heaven.  She 
has  traveled  on,  I  apprehend,  from  the  beginning 
without  stopping  or  staying  in  all  the  plain,  and  has 
proceeded  far  on  her  way  to  quiet  resting  places  and 
sure  dwellings  in  his  love,  and  is  walking  in  that 
highway  of  holiness  where  no  lion  or  ravenous  beast 
shall  come." 

She  had  declined  an  overture  of  marriage  in  early 
life  that  she  might  devote  herself  entirely  to  Chris- 
tian labors ;  but  in  her  forty-seventh  year  the  offer 
was  repeated  by  the  same  estimable  gentleman,  Har- 
vey "W.  Mortimer,  Esq.  It  was  accepted,  and  proved 
a  blessing  to  her  remaining  life.  It  gave  her  a  per- 
manent residence  in  London,  where  she  had  ample 
scope  for  her  talents  and  zeal  in  the  numerous 


110  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

societies  of  Methodism.  She  survived  all  her  early 
Methodist  associates  till  near  the  year  1835,  when, 
weary  with  age  and  infirmity,  she  tranquilly  entered 
into  her  eternal  rest.  When  death  was  near  she 
meditated  much  on  the  last  topic  of  her  conversations 
with  Wesley,  reunion  with  departed  saints.  "  I  can- 
not express,"  she  said,  "  how  I  exult  in  the  anticipa- 
tion of  soon  rejoining  those  friends  from  whom  I 
have  been  separated  here  below ;  yet  it  seems  strange 
that,  although  so  near  to  the  world  of  spirits,,  I  can- 
not see  them."  It  was  observed  that  "that  world 
was  now  visible  to  the  eye  of  faith  alone;  but  she 
would  soon  drop  the  vail,  and  faith  would  be  ex- 
changed for  sight.  Now  she  was  saved  by  hope,  then 
she  would  be  admitted  to  realize  in  full  fruition  her 
anticipated  heaven."  Holy  joy  illumined  her  sweet 
and  venerable,  but  emaciated  countenance,  and  spoke 
entire  assent  to  what  had  been  advanced. 

Her  friend  and  correspondent  Darcy,  LADY  MAX- 
WELL, is  one  of  the  most  frequent  names  in  early 
Methodism,  and  her  memoirs  continue  to  be  one  of 
its  most  instructive  biographies ;  "a  book,"  says 
Southey,  "  which  shows  more  of  high  enthusiastic 
devotion,  unmingled  and  undebased,  than  is  to  be 
found  in  any  other  composition  of  the  kind."  She 
was  active  with  Lady  Huntingdon  in  the  joint  labors 
of  Calvinistic  and  Arminian  Methodists.  She  early  en- 
couraged the  famous  Rowland  Hill  by  appointing  him 


LADY  MAXWELL.  Ill 

to  preach  at  her  chapel  at  Hotwells.  She  encouraged 
the  Wesley  an  preachers  in  Scotland  when,  after  the 
Calvinistic  controversy,  they  were  generally  discount- 
enanced by  even  the  devout  portions  of  the  Kirk. 

She  had  suffered  much:  Bereaved  of  her  husband 
by  death  in  her  nineteenth  year,  and  of  her  only  child 
four  weeks  later,  she  was  never  known  afterward  to 
mention  the  name  of  either,  but  turned  with  a  broken 
heart  from  the  world  to  seek  consolation  in  a  holy 
life,  and  the  hope  of  that  day  when  "  the  dead  shall 
come  forth."  She  found  in  Methodism  a  standard  of 
piety  which  met  the  demands  of  her  awakened  con- 
science, and  afforded  the  comfort  which  her  afflictions 
needed.  She  has  recorded,  that  had  it  not  been  for 
the  Methodists  she  probably  should  never  have 
known  the  consolations  in  religion  which  she  had 
attained,  for  no  other  teachers  around  her  had  fully 
taught  them,  and  it  is  seldom,  she  remarks,  that  we 
go  beyond  our  teachers.  She  lived  and  died  an 
intelligent,  modest,  but  decided  witness  for  the 
Methodist  teachings  respecting  Christian  perfection. 
She  survived  till  1810,  and  died  the  oldest  member 
of  the  society.  It  was  by  the  aid  of  this  noble 
woman  that  Wesley  was  able  to  erect  his  noted 
Kingswood  School.  When  he  first  mentioned  the 
design  to  her,  she  put  into  his  hands  five  hundred 
pounds  toward  it ;  and  on  learning,  some  time  after- 
ward, that  it  was  indebted  three  hundred  pounds,  she 


112  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

forthwith  gave  him  the  entire  amount,  and  her  dona- 
tions were  conferred  with  a  delicacy  which  gave  a 
grace  to  her'  liberality.  She  was  the  representative 
woman  of  Methodism  in  Scotland  for  many  years. 
One  of  its  preachers  at  Edinburgh  says :  "  Among 
our  friends  and  communicants  we  numbered  the 
Hon.  Miss  Napier,  sister  of  the  then  Lord  High 
Commissioner,  the  Right  Hon.  Lady  Helen  Dal- 
rymple,  Lady  Maxwell,  and  many  others  who, 
though  not  titled,  were  highly  respectable.  The 
superintendent,  his  wife,  and  colleagues,  and  several 
other  persons,  had  the  happiness  of  meeting  in  band 
with  Lady  Maxwell,  once  a  week,  at  her  own  house. 
We  then  had  the  honor  to  dine  with  her  ladyship,  in 
company  with  such  other  ministers  and  people  of 
various  denominations,  and  from  different  parts  of 
the  world,  as  her  ladyship  chose  to  invite  from  week 
to  week.  After  dinner  we  spent  an  hour  or  two  in 
religious  conversation,  led  chiefly  by  her  ladyship, 
whose  deep  piety,  dignified  manners,  benignity  of 
temper,  and  extraordinary  conversational  powers  I 
have  never  seen  equaled  from  that  day  to  this  ;  nor 
do  I  expect  to  till  I  meet  her  among  the  spirits  of 
the  just  made  perfect  in  heaven.  Such  connections, 
while  they  tended  greatly  to  the  edification  of  all  the 
parties,  were  also  the  means  of  promoting  the  useful- 
ness of  the  preachers  in  the  city  and  its  vicinity; 
and  though  I  would  not  undervalue  the  direct 


LADY   MAXWELL.  113 

influence  of  Methodism  in  Scotland,  either  in  present 
or  former  times,  yet  I  cannot  avoid  thinking  that,  at 
least  in  olden  times,  its  indirect  influence  was  great 
and  salutary." 

Wesley's  printed  correspondence  gives  sixteen  of 
his  letters  to  her.  She  was  in  habitual  correspond- 
ence with  many  of  the  leading  women  of  early  Meth- 
odism, and  after  surviving  most  of  them,  died,  like 
them,  a  blessed  death  in  1810.  Her  relative,  Hon. 
Miss  Napier,  writing  to  Mrs.  Mortimer,  says :  "  She 
expired  without  a  sigh,  struggle,  or  groan,  which  was 
literally  an  answer  to  prayer.  I  had  long  been  her 
selected  and  confidential  friend,  as  well  as  her  rela- 
tion, and  had  lived  under  her  roof  for  several  years, 
so  that  to  me  this  event  is  most  mournful.  But  I 
am  sensible  that  the  change  to  her  is  so  glorious  that 
I  ought  to  turn  my  tears  into  hymns  of  joy.  God 
highly  honored  me  in  appointing  me  to  the  melan- 
choly duty  of  attending  her.  Such  a  deathbed !  It 
appeared  like  the  verge  of  heaven ;  like  waiting  in 
the  sanctuary,  surrounded  by  angels  and  archangels ; 
and  above  all,  a  place  which  the  presence  of  God 
rendered  sacred.  There  was  never  greater  lamenta- 
tion than  has  been  made  for  her  by  all  ranks  of 
society.  A  funeral  sermon  was  preached  on  the 
occasion  of  her  death  on  Sunday  evening  in  her  free 
school,  where  she  had  educated  nearly  eight  hundred 
children,  who  receive  a  regular  course  of  education 


114  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

for  three  years;  and,  when  dismissed  and  fully 
taught,  each  gets  a  Bible.  This  school,  by  her  set- 
tlement, is  to  exist  while  time  shall  last." 

Few  female  characters  in  early  Methodism  have 
excited  more  interest  than  GRACE  MURRAY,  though 
the  contemporary  Methodist  records  give  but  occa- 
sional glimpses  of  her  attractive  image.  It  is  a  suffi- 
cient motive  for  this  interest  that  she  was  dearer  to 
"Wesley  than  any  other  woman ;  that  he  fully  gave 
her  his  heart;  that  their  mutual  but  disappointed 
hope  of  consummating  their  affection  by  marriage 
has  left  a  trait  of  romantic  sentiment  and  sadness 
on  the  history  of  his  remarkable  life,  usually  sup- 
posed to  have  Been  too  publicly  active  to  admit 
of  much  play  to  the  more  personal  affections. 
An  English  correspondent  says :  "  Grace  Murray 
was  a  young,  beautiful,  and  well-educated  widow. 
.  .  .  Mr.  Wesley  had  employed  this  lady,  who  was 
as  discreet  as  she  was  attractive,  to  perform  the 
duty  of  visiting  and  organizing  the  female  classes 
in  the  north  of  England.  When  engaged  in  this 
work  Mrs*  Murray  itinerated  on  horseback,  and  fre- 
quently without  any  companion.  An  old  man  told 
Dr.  Bunting  how  one  day  he  saw  her,  at  a  place  in 
Yorkshire,  come  forth  to  the  door  of  a  house  to  take 
her  departure.  A  servant  brought  round  her  steed. 
She  gave  a  glance  to  see  that  all  was  right,  then  laid 
her  hand  on  her  horse's  shoulder.  The  well-trained 


GEACE  MURRAY.  115 

animal  immediately  knelt  down.  The  lady,  who 
suffered  no  man  to  help  her  in  mounting,  seated 
herself  lightly  on  the  saddle,  and,  as  in  an  instant, 
she  was  out  of  sight ;  and  the  old  man,  Mr.  Bunting 
tells  us,  saw  her  no  more,  '  except  in  dreams.'  Jabez 
Bunting  preached  the  funeral  sermon  of  Grace 
Murray  at  Chapel-en-le-Frith,  in  Derbyshire,  in  the 
year  1803."  Moore,  Wesley's  biographer,  gives  us  a 
few  more  details  of  her  life.  He  says :  "  The  person 
on  whom  Mr.  "Wesley's  affections  were  placed  was  in 
every  respect  worthy  of  them.  Miss  Grace  Norman, 
of  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  was  married  at  a  very  early 
age  to  Mr.  Alexander  Murray,  of  a  respectable 
family  in  Scotland.  He  was  an  affectionate  husband, 
and  his  kind  attentions  were  repaid  by  the  affection- 
ate attachment  of  his  wife ;  but  they  were  both  at 
that  time  totally  insensible  to  the  happiness  of 
religion.  After  some  time  she  was  awakened  by 
the  powerful  preaching  of  that  day,  and  immediately 
began  to  fulfill  her  baptismal  vow.  She  renounced 
the  pomps  and  vanities  of  this  wicked  world,  in 
which  they  had  both  delighted,  and  became  the 
devoted  servant  of  the  Lord  that  bought  her.  This 
change  gave  her  husband  great  pain,  and  for  some 
time  she  suffered  a  degree  of  real  persecution  from 
him.  He  even  threatened  to  confine  her  in  a  mad- 
house. Her  gentle  and  affectionate  behavior  in  some 
measure  overcame  this  evil ;  but  his  death  at  sea, 


116  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

which  happened  not  long  after,  almost  overwhelmed 
her.  She  was,  however,  strengthened  by  divine 
grace  to  submit  to  this  afflictive  bereavement,  and 
it  was  sanctified,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  to  her 
furtherance  and  growth  in  grace. 

"  After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Murray 
returned  to  Newcastle ;  and  when  Mr.  "Wesley 
formed  a  family  connected  with  his  chapel  in  that 
town,  he  appointed  her  to  be  the  housekeeper.  Mr. 
Wesley  had  three  houses  which  he  accounted  his 
own,  one  at  London,  another  at  Bristol,  and  a  third 
at  Newcastle ;  to  all  others  he  had  only  the  power  to 
appoint  the  preachers.  These  houses  might  be  called 
Religious  Houses;  the  housekeepers  were  persons 
eminent  for  piety.  The  itinerant  preachers  in  the 
western,  northern,  and  middle  counties  occasionally 
visited  these  establishments,  and  rested  for  a  short 
space  from  their  great  labor.  Mrs.  Murray  had  now 
full  employment  in  that  way  in  which  she  delighted. 
In  the  town  and  in  the  country  societies  her  labors  of 
love,  especially  among  the  females,  were  remarkably 
owned  .of  the  Lord,  and  highly  edifying.  Mr.  Wes- 
ley then  enlarged  her  sphere,  and  she  traveled 
through  the  northern  counties  to  meet  and  regulate 
the  female  classes.  She  then,  under  his  direction, 
visited  Ireland,  where  she  abounded  in  the  same 
work  of  faith  and  love  for  several  months;  and 
though  she  never  attempted  to  preach,  her  gifts  were 


GRACE   MURRAY.  117 

much  honored,  and  her  'name  as  ointment  poured 
forth.'  She  returned  by  Bristol,  and  visited  the  soci- 
eties in  the  southern  and  eastern  counties,  and  rested 
again  at  Newcastle.  Mr.  Wesley,  who  knew  all  her 
proceedings,  and  greatly  esteemed  her  labors,  thought 
he  had  found  a  helpmeet  for  him.  But  while  he 
indulged  these  pleasing  prospects,  in  which  he  was 
encouraged  by  his  highly  valued  friend,  the  Yicar  of 
Shoreham,  and  others,  they  were  dashed  to  pieces  by 
the  intelligence  of  Mrs.  Murray's  marriage,  on  the 
third  day  of  October,  1749,  at  Newcastle,  to  Mr. 
John  Bennet,  one  of  the  itinerant  preachers,  in  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Charles  "Wesley  and  Mr.  Whitefield  ! 
The  disappointment  was  a  most  severe  one  to  Mr. 
"Wesley,  and  perhaps  the  forgiveness  and  love  which 
he  manifested  on  that  occasion  was  the  highest  proof 
of  the  power  of  the  religion  he  possessed  that  he  was 
ever  called  to  exercise  toward  man.  He  continued 
to  employ  Mr.  Bennet  as  before,  and  behaved  to  him 
with  his  usual  kindness.  That  gentleman,  however, 
became  still  more  intimate  with  Mr.  Whitefield, 
adopted  his  sentiments,  and  at  length  publicly  sep- 
arated from  Mr.  "Wesley  at  Bolton,  in  Lancashire,  on 
April  3, 1752.  He  afterward  settled,  as  a  Dissenting 
minister,  at  "Warburton,  in  Cheshire,  where  he  died 
on  the  24th  of  May,  1759." 

In  a  document  attributed  to  Wesley  he  says  of 
Grace  Murray :  "  We  passed  several  months  together 


118  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

in  Ireland.  I  saw  the  work  of  God  prosper  in 
her  hands:  she  lightened  my  burden  more  than 
can  be  expressed.  She  examined  all  the  women 
in  the  smaller  societies  and  the  believers  in  every 
place.  She  settled  all  the  women-bands,  visited  the 
sick,  prayed  with  the  mourners,  more  and  more  of 
whom  received  remission  of  sins  during  her  conver- 
sations or  prayers.  Meantime  she  was  to  me  both 
a  servant  and  friend,  as  well  as  a  fellow-laborer  in 
the  Gospel.  She  provided  everything  I  wanted. 
She  told  me  with  all  faithfulness  and  freedom  if 
ehe  thought  anything  amiss  in  my  behavior,  and 
(what  I  never  saw  in  any  other  to  this  day)  she  knew 
how  to  reconcile  the  utmost  plainness  of  speech  with 
such  deep  esteem  and  respect  as  I  often  trembled  at, 
not  thinking  it  was  due  to  any  creature,  and  to  join 
with  the  most  exquisite  modesty  a  tenderness  not  to 
be  expressed.  The  more  we  conversed  together 
the  more  I  loved  her,  and  before  I  returned  from 
Ireland  we  contracted  by  a  contract  de  prcesenti. 
I  perceived  she  was  such  a  person  as  I  had  in 
vain  sought  for  many  years,  and  then  determined 
never  to  part  with.  I  told  her  this,  but  told  her 
withal,  'I  could  not  as  yet  proceed  any  further, 
because  I  could  do  nothing  without  consulting  my 
brother,  as  he  had  done  nothing  without  consulting 
me.'  She  answered,  '  It  was  so  great  a  blessing  that 
she  knew  not  how  to  believe  it ;  it  seemed  all  as  a 


GEACE   MURRAY.  119 

dream.'  From  this  time  I  looked  upon  her  as  my 
own,  and  resolved  that  nothing  but  death  should 
part  us." 

In  a  sketch  of  her  life  by  herself  she  attributes  her 
first  effectual  religious  impressions  to  the  death  of  her 
child.  "As  I  looked,"  she  says,  "  at  her,  laid  out  upon 
the  table,  the  thoughts  of  death  seized  strongly  upon 
me.  This  was  followed  by  a  strange  lowness  of  spirits. 
Everything  looked  dark  and  gloomy.  I  could  take 
pleasure  in  nothing,  nor  could  any  company  divert 
me.  My  sister  strove  to  divert  me  as  much  as  she 
could,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  At  last  I  told  her,  '  I 
think  it  is  my  soul;'  at  which  she  broke  out  in 
amazement :  '  Nay,  if  your  soul  is  not  safe,  who  have 
lived  so  harmless,  what  will  become  of  me  ? '  But 
notwithstanding  all  she  could  say  or  do,  my  heavi- 
ness increased  more  and  more.  While  I  was  in  this 
state,  a  young  woman  sent  to  me  one  day  to  ask  if  J 
would  go  with  her  to  '  hear  Mr.  Whitefield  preach.' 
I  gladly  consented,  and  went  with  her  to  Blackheath. 
Several  persons  were  sitting  on  the  Mount,  and 
singing.  My  heart  was  melted  down  as  soon  as  I 
heard  them,  and  I  felt  a  sweetness  I  had  never  felt 
before.  I  looked  up  and  wondered  where  I  was. 
When  Mr.  W.  came  I  thought  there  was  something 
in  his  look  which  I  had  never  seen.  He  preached 
on  John  iii,  8.  I  listened,  and  liked  all  I  heard; 
but  I  understood  it  not.  However,  I  found  my  heart 


120  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

wholly  drawn  toward  God,  and  I  began  to  seek  him 
with  all  my  strength.  I  went  to  hear  him  again  on 
the  three  following  days,  on  the  last  of  which  he 
preached  his  farewell  sermon.  When  he  was  gone 
away,  in  order  to  embark  for  Georgia,  I  was  utterly 
disconsolate  again.  I  wept  much  in  secret ;  I  walked 
up  and  down,  but  could  find  no  comfort.  I  spent 
much  time  in  the  churchyard  reading  the  inscrip- 
tions on  the  tombstones,  and  then  standing  and 
crying  over  my  child's  grave.  My  sister  labored 
more  than  ever  to  divert  me,  fearing  I  should  lose 
my  senses.  The  next  Saturday  the  young  woman 
sent  to  me  again  to  tell  me  that  Mr.  Wesley  was 
come,  and  was  to  preach  in  the  fields  the  next 
morning.  I  slept  little  that  night.  I  rose  at  three, 
and  about  four  set  out,  though  I  knew  not  where 
Moorfields  was.  I  overtook  a  woman  going  thither, 
who  showed  me  the  way.  When  Mr.  W.  stood  up, 
and  looked  round  on  the  congregation,  I  fixed  my 
eyes  upon  him,  and  felt  an  inexpressible  conviction 
that  he  was  sent  of  God.  And  when  he  spoke  these 
words,  'Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the 
kingdom  of  God,'  they  went  through  me  like  a  dart, 
and  I  cried  out,  '  Alas,  what  shall  I  do  ?  How  shall 
I  be  born  again  ? '  After  the  sermon,  a  young 
woman  seeing  me  all  in  tears,  asked,  '  What  is  the 
matter  with  you  ? '  I  said,  '  I  don't  know.'  She 
said,  '  I  will  tell  you  ;  the  hammer  of  God's  love 


GRACE   MURRAY.  121 

is  breaking  your  heart ;  only  follow  on  to  know  the 
Lord.'  She  spoke  many  other  sweet  words.  I  went 
home  a  mere  sinner,  now  knowing  what  I  wanted — 
an  atonement  for  my  sins." 

As  she  sat  one  day  with  a  female  friend  in  her 
own  house  reading  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  Romans, 
"  in  a  moment,"  she  says,  "  all  things  became  new. 
I  seemed  to  have  new  eyes,  and  a  new  understand- 
ing. I  saw  all  I  read  in  a  new  light.  My  burden 
dropped  off ;  my  soul  was  in  peace.  My  tears  were 
all  gone,  and  I  said  to  her,  '  Now  I  know  God  is  my 
God,  and  he  has  forgiven  my  sins.'  She  replied, 
'Then  be  sure  you  hold  fast  your  confidence.'  It 
was  not  long  before  I  found  her  caution  needful,  it 
being  strongly  suggested,  '  how  could  it  be  that  God 
should  forgive  such  a  sinner  ? '  This  threw  me  into 
an  agony  of  prayer,  in  which  I  had  not  continued 
long  before  I  cried,  '  Now  I  know  God  is  my  God/ 
I  know  for  Christ's  sake  he  has  forgiven  me ;  I  care 
not  if  all  the  devils  in  hell  and  all  the  men  upon  earth 
were  to  deny  it.'  I  could  not  conceal  what  God  had 
done.  I  went  and  told  my  sister,  but  she  desired  I 
would  keep  my  madness  to  myself,  and  not  make 
her  mad  too.  Yet  I  could  not  refrain  from  declaring 
the  goodness  of  God  wherever  I  came,  whether  they 
would  hear  or  forbear.  I  could  even  have  gone  into 
the  streets  to  call  sinners  to  repentance,  and  proclaim 
the  Saviour  of  sinners.  I  had  an  insatiable  thirst 


122  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

for  the  salvation  of  all  men,  which  constrained  me  to 
stop  any  loose  women  I  met,  and  even  to  seek  them 
at  their  houses,  and  beseech  them  to  turn  to  God." 

For  three  years  she  had  charge  of  Wesley's  par- 
sonage, or  preachers'  house,  at  Newcastle.  As  reas- 
ons for  his  choice  of  her  as  a  wife,  he  says: 
"As  a  housekeeper  she  has  every  qualification  I 
desire.  She  understands  all  I  want  to  have  done. 
She  is  remarkably  neat  in  person,  in  clothes,  in  all 
things.  She  is  nicely  frugal,  yet  not  sordid.  She 
has  much  common  sense,  contrives  everything  for 
the  best,  makes  everything  go  as  far  as  it  can  go, 
foresees  what  is  wanting,  and  provides  it  in  time ; 
does  all  things  quickly  and  yet  without  hurry.  She 
is  a  good  workwoman,  able  to  do  the  finest,  ready  to 
do  the  coarsest  work ;  observes  my  rules  when  I  am 
absent  as  well  as  when  I  am  present,  and  takes  care 
that  those  about  her  observe  them,  yet  seldom  dis- 
obliges any  of  them.  As  a  nurse,  she  is  careful  to 
the  last  degree,  indefatigably  patient,  and  inexpressi- 
bly tender.  As  a  companion,  she  has  good  sense, 
and  some  knowledge  both  of  men  and  books.  She  is 
of  an  engaging  behavior,  and  of  a  mild,  sprightly, 
cheerful,  and  yet  serious  temper.  As  a  friend,  she 
has  been  long  tried  and  found  faithful.  She  watches 
over  me  both  in  body  and  soul,  understanding  all  my 
weaknesses,  sympathizing  with  me,  and  helpful  to  me 
in  all ;  never  ashamed,  never  afraid ;  having  a  continual 


GRACE  MURRAY.  123 

presence  of  mind  in  all  difficulties  and  dangers ;  in  all, 
enabled  to  cover  my  head  and  strengthen  my  hands 
in  God.  Lastly,  as  a  fellow-laborer  in  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  (the  light  wherein  my  wife  is  to  be  chiefly 
considered,)  she  has  gifts,  and,  in  a  measure  which  I 
never  found  in  any  other,  both  grace  and  fruit.  She 
is  crucified  unto  the  world ;  exemplarily  chaste, 
modest,  temperate,  yet  without  any  affectation. 
She  is  teachable  and  reprovable,  gentle  and  long- 
Buffering;  eminently  compassionate,  weeping  with 
those  that  weep  ;  bearing  my  burdens,  those  of 
the  preacher,  and  those  of  the  people ;  zealous  of 
good  works,  longing  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  men.  She  has  a  clear 
apprehension  and  a  deep  knowledge  of  the  things  of 
God;  she  is  well  acquainted  with  and  exercised  in 
our  method  of  leading  souls,  having  gone  through  all 
our  little  offices,  and  discharged  them  all  entirely 
well.  She  has  a  ready  utterance,  a  spirit  of  con- 
vincing as  well  as  of  persuasive  speech,  a  winning 
address,  an  agreeable  carriage  in  whatever  company 
she  is  engaged.  By  means  of  all  which  she  is  ex- 
ceedingly beloved  almost  wherever  she  goes,  and  is 
dear,  in  an  uncommon  manner,  to  great  numbers  of 
the  people.  I  never  yet  heard  or  read  of  any  woman 
so  owned  of  God ;  so  many  have  been  convinced  of 
sin  in  her  bands  and  classes,  and  under  her  prayers. 
I  particularly  insist  upon  this :  if  ever  I  have  a  wife, 


124:  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

she  ought  to  be  the  most  careful  woman  in  the  king- 
dom, not  barely  one  who  probably  may  be  so,  (I 
could  not  be  content  to  run  such -a  hazard,)  but  one 
that  undeniably  is  so.  Now  show  me  the  woman  in 
England,  Wales,  or  Ireland  who  has  done  so  much 
good  as  Grace  Murray."  * 

Whitefield  and  Charles  Wesley  doubtless  interfered 
in  this  unfortunate  case  from  a  conscientious  belief 
that  marriage  would  be  a  hinderance  to  the  great 
career  of  their  friend.  Watson  gives  an  extract  from 
an  unpublished  letter  of  Wesley,  which  proves  both 
how  deeply  he  felt,  and  how  resolutely  he  bore  his 
disappointment.  "The  sons  of  Zeruiah  were  too 
strong  for  me.  The  whole  world  fought  against  me, 
but,  above  all,  my  own  familiar  friend,  [Charles 
Wesley.]  Then  was  the  word  fulfilled :  '  Son  of 
man,  behold  I  take  from  thee  the  desire  of  thine 
eyes  at  a  stroke,  yet  shalt  thou  not  lament,  neither 
shall  thy  tears  run  down.'  The  fatal,  irrevocable 
stroke  was  struck  on  Thursday  last.  Yesterday  I 
saw  my  friend,  (that  was,)  and  him  to  whom  she  is 
sacrificed.  But  why  should  a  living  man  complain, 
a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his  sins  ? "  Jackson 
says  that  several  letters  of  Wesley  to  his  termagant 
wife,  during  his  worst  trials  from  her,  show  "the 
utmost  tenderness  of  affection,  such  as  few  female 

*  "Narrative  of  a  Remarkable  Transaction,"  etc,    See  my  notice  of 
tbia  work  on  p.  7, 


GRACE   MURRAY.  125 

hearts  could  have  withstood,  and  justify  the  opinion 
that  had  it  been  his  happiness  to  be  married  to  a 
person  who  was  worthy  of  him,  he  could  have  been 
one  of  the  most  affectionate  husbands  that  ever  lived. 
Those  who  think  that  he  was  constitutionally  cold 
and  repulsive  utterly  mistake  his  character." 

Wesley's  numerous  published  letters  to  female 
correspondents  are  the  most  characteristic  of  his 
writings ;  they  are  fervid  with  pure  and  delicate  sen- 
timent. This  man  who  worked  so  mightily  could 
also  love  intensely.  He  never  deemed  it  necessary 
to  record  an  apology  for  his  affection  for  Grace 
Murray.  All  accounts  of  her  show  that  she  was 
worthy  of  him ;  that  she  possessed  not  only  rare 
attractions  of  person  and  manners,  but  of  heart. 
She  combined  an  indefinable  charm  of  character 
with  extraordinary  talents ;  *  she  not  only  formed 
and  regulated  many  of  his  female  classes  in  the 
north  of  England,  but  she  traveled  with  him ; 
and  with  womanly  grace  and  modesty,  as  well  as 
skillful  ability,  promoted  among  the  women  of 
Methodism  the  great  work  in  which  he  was 
engaged.  She  reciprocated  his  affection  for  her, 
though  with  diffident  surprise.  "  I  esteemed,"  says 
Wesley,  "  and  loved  her  more  and  more ;  and,  when 

*  The  biographer  of  Lady  Huntingdon  says,  "  She  possessed  supe- 
rior personal  accomplishments,  united  to  a  mind  cultivated  by  educa- 
tion, and  an  imagination  brilliant  and  lively  in  the  highest  degree." 


126  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

I  was  a  little  recovered,  I  told  her,  sliding  into  it  I 
know  not  how,  '  If  ever  I  marry,  I  think  you  will 
be  the  person.'  After  some  time  I  spoke  to  her 
more  directly.  She  seemed  utterly  amazed,  and 
said,  '  This  is  too  great  a  blessing  for  me ;  I  can't 
tell  how  to  believe  it.  This  is  all  I  could  have 
wished  for  under  heaven,  if  I  had  dared  to  wish 
for  it.'"  "We  have  seen  how  bitterly  he  felt  his 
loss ;  and  the  relief  which  he  sought  in  unslackened 
devotion  to  his  great  work  is  proof  of  his  genuine 
greatness  rather  than  of  his  want  of  sensibility. 
He  kept  the  painful  recollection  locked  in  his  own 
heart,  never  obtruding  it  in  any  of  his  subsequent 
published  letters,  except  in  one  instance  when  he 
ministered  relief  to  a  Christian  friend,  in  a  similar 
sorrow,  by  referring  to  his  own,  the  keenness  of 
which  he  describes  as  extreme.  He  "  saw  his  friend 
that  was,  and  him  to  whom  she  was  sacrificed,"  im- 
mediately after  the  sacrifice,  but  never  again  records 
an  allusion  to  her  except  in  the  single  instance 
mentioned,  and  a  poetical  account  of  her  history 
and  of  his  affection  for  her,  which  he  kept  sacredly 
during  his  life,  but  which  was  discovered  and  pub- 
lished by  one  of  his  biographers,  a  long,  sad,  heart- 
touching  narrative,  in  which  he  dwells  with  minutest 
interest  on  every  recollection  of  the  case.  Grace 
Murray  survived  till  1803.  She  rejoined  the  Meth- 
odists, after  the  death  of  her  husband,  was  many 


GKACE   MURRAY.  127 

years  a  class-leader  among  them,  and  lived  and  died 
esteemed  and  beloved  by  them.  Wesley  pursued 
his  career  without  once  turning  aside  to  reopen  the 
wound  in  either  heart  by  an  interview.  When 
eighty-five  years  old  he  allowed  himself,  however, 
the  pleasure  of  a  single  conversation  with  her.  She 
was  in  London,  and  expressed  a  wish  to  see  him. 
Accompanied  by  Henry  Moore,  he  called  upon  her. 
Though  he  "preserved  more  than  his  usual  self- 
possession,"  the  meeting,  says  Moore,  was  affecting. 
It  did  not  continue  long,  and  Moore  never  heard 
him  mention  her  name  afterward. 

She  was  eighty-nine  years  old  when  she  died  ;  the 
manuscript  of  her  funeral  sermon  by  Bunting  still 
remains;  it  records  that  "the  day  before  she  died 
she  raised  herself  into  a  very  solemn  attitude,  and, 
with  most  striking  emphasis,  delivered,  in  the  fol- 
lowing language,  her  dying  testimony  to  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus :  *  I  here  declare  it  before  you  that 
I  have  looked  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left — 
I  have  cast  my  eyes  before  and  behind  —  to  see  if 
there  was  any  possible  way  of  salvation  but  by  the 
Son  of  God,  and  I  am  fully  satisfied  there  is  not. 
No ;  none  on  earth,  nor  all  the  angels  in  heaven, 
could  have  wrought  out  salvation  for  such  a  sinner. 
None  but  God  himself,  taking  our  nature  upon  him, 
and  doing  all  that  the  Holy  Law  required,  could 
have  procured  pardon  for  me,  a  sinner.  He  has 


128  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

wrought  out  salvation  for  me,  and  I  know  that  I 
shall  enjoy  it  forever.' "  Her  last  words  were  "  Glory 
be  to  thee,  my  God,  thou  givest  me  peace ! " 

Wesley's  disappointment  in  this  case  led  to  the 
severest  trial  of  his  life.  With  the  advice  of  his 
friend  and  counselor,  Perronet,  of  Shoreham,  he 
married  in  1752  Mrs.  Yizelle,  a  widow  lady  of 
wealth,  of  intelligence,  and  of  apparently  every 
qualification  necessary  to  render  his  home  happy 
and  exemplary.  At  his  own  instance,  her  ample 
property  was  secured,  before  the  marriage,  to  herself 
and  her  children.  She  understood  that  he  was  not 
to  abate  his  itinerant  labors.  He  pursued  them  as 
usual,  and  in  about  two  months  after  his  marriage 
wrote  in  his  journal :  "  I  cannot  understand  how  a 
Methodist  preacher  can  answer  it  to  God  to  preach 
one  sermon  or  travel  one  day  less  in  a  married  than 
in  a  single  state.  In  this  respect  surely  '  it  remain- 
eth  that  they  who  have  wives  be  as  though  they  had 
none.' "  His  wife  traveled  with  him  for  some  time, 
but  soon  very  naturally  grew  dissatisfied  with  a 
life  so  restless  and  so  incompatible  with  the  tastes 
and  convenience  of  her  sex.  Unwilling  to  travel 
herself,  she  became  equally  dissatisfied  with  her 
husband's  habitual  absence.  Her  discontent  took 
at  last  the  form  of  a  monomaniacal  jealousy. 
During  twenty  years  she  persecuted  him  with  un- 
founded suspicions  and  intolerable  annoyances,  and 


DINAH  EVANS.  121) 

it  is  among  the  most  admirable  proofs  of  the  genu- 
ine greatness  of  his  character  that  his  public  career 
never  wavered,  never  lost  one  jot  of  its  energy  or 
success,  during  this  protracted  domestic  wretched- 
ness. She  .repeatedly  deserted  him,  but  returned  at 
his  own  earnest  instance.  She  opened,  interpolated, 
and  then  exposed  to  his  enemies  his  correspondence, 
and  sometimes  traveled  a  hundred  miles  to  see,  from 
a  window,  who  accompanied  him  in  his  carriage.  At 
last,  taking  with  her  portions  of  his  journals  and 
papers,  which  she  never  restored,  she  left  him  with 
the  assurance  that  she  would  never  return.  His 
allusion  to  the  fact  in  his  journal  is  characteris- 
tically laconic.  He  knew  not,  he  says,  the  immediate 
cause  of  her  determination,  and  adds,  "  Non  earn 
reliqui,  non  dimissi,  non  revocabo" — I  did  not  for- 
sake her,  I  did  not  dismiss  her,  I  will  not  recall  her. 
She  lived  about  ten  years  after  leaving  him.  Her 
tombstone  commemorated  her  virtues  as  a  parent 
and  a  friend,  but  not  as  a  wife.* 

Toward  the  close  of  the  last  century  DINAH  EVANS, 

*  Sou  they  is  candid  in  his  account  of  this  case,  (Life  of  Wesley, 
chap.  24.)  Watson  supplies  additional  and  necessary  facts.  (Life  of 
Wesley,  chap.  10.)  There  is  an  intimation  in  Wesley's  Journal  as 
late  as  June  30,  1772,  which  seems  to  imply  a  temporary  reconcilia- 
tion. "Calling,"  he  says,  "at  a  little  inn  on  the  moors,  I  spoke  a 
few  words  to  an  old  man  there,  as  my  wife  did  to  the  woman  of  the 
house."  At  her  death  she  left  him  a  ring.  (Coke  and  Moore's  Life 
of  Wesley,  II,  4.) 

9 


130  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

wife  of  Seth  Evans,  himself  a  useful  local  preacher, 
commenced  her  public  labors  in  Derbyshire.  The 
hand  of  genius  has  portrayed  her  almost  angelic 
character  truthfully,  though  in  a  work  of  fiction ; 
and  has  won  for  her  admiration  and  tears  wherever 
the  English  language  is  used.*  She  is  described 
as  "  one  of  the  most  pure  minded  and  holy  women 
that  ever  adorned  the  Church  of  Christ  on  earth." 
In  her  childhood  she  was  remarkable  for  her  docil- 
ity, conscientiousness,  and  sweet  disposition.  Her 
early  girlhood  was  consecrated  to  religion ;  and  when 
"Wesley's  travels  and  labors  had  raised  up,  through- 
out the  land,  Societies  in  the  social  worship  of  which 
women  were  allowed  to  share,  her  rare  natural  tal- 
ents found  an  appropriate  sphere  of  usefulness 
which  no  other  denomination  except  Quakerism 
then  afforded.  She  preached  in  cottages  and  some- 
times in  the  open  air.  Her  appearance,  her  womanly 
delicacy,  and  her  affecting  eloquence  subdued  the 
rudest  multitudes  into  reverence  and  tenderness 

toward  her;  and  she  assisted  in  an  extraordinary 
/ 

*  Adam  Bede.  By  George  Elliott.  The  author's  real  name  wag 
Evans,  (now  Mrs.  Lewes.)  and  she  was  a  relative  of  Seth  Evans.  It 
will  be  a  satisfaction  to  most  readers  of  this  popular  fiction  to  know 
that  the  heroine  married,  not  Adam  Evans,  (Adam  Bede,)  as  the  author 
represents,  but  his  brother  Seth.  The  sermon  of  Dinah,  on  the  Greeiw 
is  no  exaggerated  example  of  her  talents  and  beautiful  character,  if 
we  may  judge  from  more  authentic  accounts.  See  "Seth  Bede,  etc. 
Chiefly  written  by  himself."  Tallant  &  Co.,  London,  1859. 


DINAH  EVANS.  131 

degree  in  laying  the  .foundations  of  the  Church  in 
many  benighted  districts.  She  was  a  constant  vis- 
itor to  the  abodes  of  the  poor  and  wretched,  to 
prisons  and  almshouses ;  she  penetrated  into  the 
dens  of  crime  and  infamy,  the  charm  of  her  benign 
presence  and  speech  securing  her  not  only  protec- 
tion but  welcome  among  the  most  brutal  men.  She 
even  followed  the  penitent  murderess  to  the  gal- 
lows ;  ministering  the  word  of  life  to  her  till  the 
last  moment  amid  the  pitiless  and  jeering  throng. 
Elizabeth  Fry,  the  Quaker  philanthropist,  could  not 
fail  to  sympathize  with  such  a  woman ;  she  became 
her  friend  and  counselor,  and  encouraged  her  in 
her  beneficent  work.  Dinah  Evans  represented,  in 
her  gentle  but  ardent  nature,  the  best  traits  of  both 
Quakerism  and  Methodism. 

Seth  Evans,  then  a  class-leader,  heard  her  at  Ash- 
bourne,  and  has  left  a  brief  allusion  to  the  occasion : 
"  The  members  of  my  class  invited  me  to  go  to 
Ashbourne  with  them,  to  hear  a  pious  and  devoted 
female,  from  Nottingham,  preach.  Truly  it  may  be 
said  of  her,  she  is  a  burning  and  shining  light. 
She  preached  with  great  power  and  unction  from 
above  to  a  crowded  congregation.  Her  doctrine 
is  sound  and  simple.  Simplicity,  love,  and  sweet- 
ness are  blended  in  her.  Her  whole  heart  is  in 
the  work.  She  is  made  instrumental  in  the  con- 
version of  many  sinners.  The  morning  of  the  resur- 


132  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

rection  will   reveal   more    than   we    know  of  her 
usefulness." 

She  became  his  wife,  and  his  assistant  in  hnmble 
efforts  for  the  religious  improvement  of  the  rustic 
inhabitants  of  Royston  and  its  neighboring  villages. 
A  great  religious  interest  soon  ensued  in  that  town, 
where  there  were  but  few  Methodists,  and  in  Snels- 
ton,  where  there  were  none.  Hundreds  flocked  to 
hear  the  Gospel  from  her  lips,  in  the  open  air  or  in 
barns,  for  the  cottages  could  not  accommodate  the 
crowds.  Classes  and  prayer-meetings  were  estab- 
lished in  many  houses,  the  village  alehouses  were 
deserted,  and  a  visible  change  came  over  the  whole 
region.  Her  example  of  interest  for  the  poor  ex- 
cited the  charity  of  her  neighbors,  and  the  afflicted 
found  sympathy  and  relief  such  as  they  never  before 
received. 

Seth  and  Dinah  Evans  founded  Methodism  in 
Edlaston,  which,  before  his  death,  was  adorned  with 
a  substantial  "Wesleyan  chapel.  They  removed 
from  Royston  to  Derby.  It  is  said  that  old  men, 
who  were  then  little  children,  still  recall  the  sor- 
rowful day  of  their  departure  from  the  village,  for 
it  was  mourned  as  a  day  of  bereavement  not  only  to 
the  poor,  but  to  all  its  families.  They  founded 
Methodism  in  Derby  by  forming  a  class.  They 
preached  out  of  doors  in  all  the  adjacent  villages. 
At  Millhouse,  about  thirteen  miles  from  Derby, 


DINAH  EVANS.  133 

Seth  Evans  organized  a  Society  of  four  members, 
which  soon  increased  to  between  twenty  and  thirty, 
and  afforded  two  preachers  to  the  conference,  one 
of  whom  became  a  missionary  to  the  West  Indies. 
His  wife  also  began  a  class  of  three  or  four  females, 
and  in  a  short  time  she  had  three  such  weekly  meet- 
ings under  her  care.  They  frequently  walked  fif- 
teen miles  on  Sunday,  to  preach  in  neglected  ham- 
lets. "  Never,"  he  wrote  years  after  her  death,  "  did 
I  hear  my  dear  wife  complain.  On  the  contrary,  she 
always  held  up  my  hands,  and  urged  me  to  take  up 
my  cross  and  not  grow  weary  in  well-doing.  A  few 
years  after  our  arrival  at  Millhouse  a  great  revival 
broke  out  in  Wirksworth,  and  also  at  our  factory. 
There  was  a  most  powerful  shaking  among  the 
hardest  and  worst  of  sinners.  These  were  indeed 
happy  days.  There  are  a  few  left  who  witnessed 
those  happy  scenes ;  but  the  greater  part  of  the  con- 
verts have  gone  to  their  rest." 

Dinah  Evans  died  at  "Wirksworth,  of  a  lingering 
disease,  during  which  it  is  said  that  sermons  were 
heard,  from  her  death-bed,  more  "  eloquent  than 
ever  fell  from  her  lips  on  Royston  Green."  She 
passed  away  with  the  meek,  unutterable  peace 
which  had  given  so  much  dignity  and  grace  to  her 
life.  Her  husband  could  not  but  suffer  deeply  from 
the  loss  of  such  a  wife.  It  shattered  his  health  ;  his 
faculties  began  to  fail ;  he  could  seldom  allude  to 


134:  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

her  without  tears.  Unable  to  preach  any  more,  he 
spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  in  visiting  the 
sick  and  the  dying,  and  at  last,  with  unfaltering  hope, 
departed  to  rejoin  her  in  heaven.  So  exemplary 
and  beautiful  with  holiness  had  been  their  united 
lives,  that  one  who  knew  them  well,  but  cared  not 
for  his  own  soul,  said  he  "  did  not  believe  that  our 
first  parents  in  Eden  were  more  pure  than  they." 

A  single  character  has  consecrated  the  Isle  of 
Wight  forever  in  the  history  of  Methodism  and  the 
regards  of  the  Christian  world.  A  clergyman  of 
the  Church  of  England  received  one  day,  from  the 
hand  of  a  servant,  a  note,  with  word  that  the  bearer 
waited  at  the  gate  of  the  parsonage.  He  went  out 
to  speak  to  the  peasant,  and  found  him  a  "  venera- 
ble man,  whose  long,  hoary  hair  and  deeply  wrinkled 
countenance  claimed  more  than  ordinary  respect." 
He  was  resting  upon  the  gate,  and  tears  were 
streaming  down  his  cheeks ;  he  made  a  low  bow  to 
the  pastor  and  said,  "  I  have  brought  you  a  letter 
from  my  daughter,  but  fear  you  will  think  us  very 
bold  in  asking  you  to  take  so  much  trouble."  The 
old  man  wept  for  the  loss  of  his  child.  The  letter 
was  from  his  only  remaining  daughter,  and  invited 
the  preacher  to  attend  the  funeral  of  her  sister.  It 
was  remarkable  for  its  simple  but  devout  senti- 
ments. "  What  is  your  occupation  ? "  asked  the 
pastor.  "Sir,  I  have  lived  most  of  my  days  in  a 


ELIZABETH  WALLBRIDGE.  135 

little  cottage  at  Arreton,  six  miles  from  here.  I 
have  rented  a  few  acres  of  ground,  and  kept  some 
cows,  which,  in  addition  to  my  day  labor,  have  been 
the  means  of  supporting  and  bringing  up  my 
family."  "  What  family  have  you  ? "  "A  wife, 
now  getting  very  aged  and  helpless,  two  sons,  and 
one  daughter ;  for  my  other  poor  dear  child  has  just 
departed  out  of  this  wicked  world."  "  I  hope  for 
the  better."  "I  hope  so  too,  poor  thing,  she  did 
not  use  to  take  to  such  good  ways  as  her  sister ; 
but  I  do  believe  that  her  sister's  manner  of  talking 
with  her  before  she  died  was  the  means  of  saving 
her  soul.  What  a  mercy  it  is  to  have  such  a  child 
as  mine  is !  I  never  thought  about  my  own  soul 
seriously  till  she,  poor  girl,  begged  and  prayed  me 
to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come."  "How  old  are 
you  ? "  "  Near  seventy,  and  my  wife  is  older ;  we 
are  getting  old,  and  almost  past  our  labor ;  but  our 
daughter  has  left  a  good  place,  where  she  lived  in 
service,  on  purpose  to  come  home  and  take  care  of 
us  and  our  little  dairy.  And  a  dear,  dutiful,  affec- 
tionate girl  she  is." 

The  aged  man,  his  wife,  his  dead  child,  and  one  of 
his  sons  had  been  converted  through  the  instrument- 
ality of  this  Christian  maiden,  and  his  cottage  had 
becoine  a  rustic  sanctuary,  fit  in  its  simple  and 
beautiful  piety  for  the  visitation  of  angels. 

The  clergyman  attended  the  funeral,  and  as  he 


136  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

sat  in  the  group  of  mourners  in  the  cottage,  he 
was  impressed  by  the  affecting  picture  of  simple 
life  and  domestic  virtue  and  sorrow  which  it  pre- 
sented ;  and  was  "  struck  with  the  humble,  pious, 
and  pleasing  countenance  of  the  young  woman" 
from  whom  he  had  received  the  letter.  "  It  bore 
the  marks  of  great  seriousness  without  affectation, 
and  of  much  serenity  mingled  with  a  glow  of  devo- 
tion." At  the  grave  a  profligate  spectator  was 
smitten  by  the  scene  and  by  a  sentence  of  the 
burial  service,  and  became  a  regenerated  man. 

The  pious  curate  repeated  his  visits,  and  learned 
among  these  peasants  lessons  of  divinity  which  the 
books  of  the  great  doctors  of  the  Church  could  not 
teach  him.  He  has  recorded  the  touching  story  of 
these  interviews  and  lessons.  All  the  Protestant 
world  has  read  and  re-read,  and  will  probably  con- 
tinue to  read  the  record,  till  the  end  of  time,  with 
glowing  hearts  and  flowing  tears.  Such  was  his  esti- 
mation of  the  Christian  peasant  girl  that  he  main- 
tained a  correspondence  with  her  as  well  as  visited 
her.  Her  letters  are  admirable  for  their  good  sense, 
and  affecting  by  their  piety,  their  natural  tenderness, 
and  their  maidenly  modesty.  She  was  living  "  out 
at  service,"  to  provide  for  her  aged  parents.  "  Dear 
sir,  I  thank  you,"  she  wrote,  "for  your  kindness 
and  condescension  in  leaving  those  that  are  of  high 
rank  and  birth  in  the  world  to  converse  with  me, 


ELIZABETH  WALLBRIDGE.  137 

who  am  but  a  servant  here  below.  But  when  I 
consider  what  a  high  calling,  what  honor  and  dig- 
nity God  has  conferred  upon  me,  to  be  called  his 
child,  to  be  born  of  his  Spirit,  made  an  heir  of 
glory,  and  joint  heir  with  Christ ;  how  humble  and 
circumspect  should  I  be  in  all  my  ways,  as  a  duti- 
ful and  loving  child  to  an  affectionate  and  loving 
Father !  When  I  seriously  consider  these  things  it 
fills  me  with  love  and  gratitude  to  God,  and  I  do 
not  wish  for  any  higher  station,  nor  envy  the  rich. 
I  rather  pity  them  if  they  are  not  good  as  well  as 
great.  My  blessed  Lord  was  pleased  to  appear  in 
the  form  of  a  servant,  and  I  long  to  be  like  him." 

Time  passes,  and  the  saintly  girl  ripens  for  heaven, 
growing  in  grace  herself,  and  dispensing  blessings  to 
all  who  come  within  her  lonely  sphere  of  life.  The 
pastor  receives  another  simple  note  at  his  gate.  It 
calls  him  to  attend  his  humble  correspondent  in  her 
last  sickness,  which  was  a  rapid  pulmonary  con- 
sumption. "  A  sweet  smile  of  friendly  complacency 
enlightened  her  pale  countenance  "  as  she  welcomed 
him,  supported  in  an  arm-chair  by  pillows.  "  You 
find  me,"  she  said,  "  daily  wasting  away,  and  I  can- 
not have  long  to  continue  here.  My  flesh  and  my 
heart  fail ;  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  weak  heart, 
and  I  trust  will  be  my  portion  forever."  A  long 
conversation  ensued.  "I  looked  around  me  as  she 
was  speaking,"  says  the  visitor,  "  and  thought,  surely 


138  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

this  is  none  other  than  the  house  of  God  and  the 
gate  of  heaven ! " 

One  day  he  received  a  hasty  summons  informing 
him  that  she  was  dying.  It  was  brought  by  a  sol- 
dier, whose  countenance  bespoke  seriousness,  good 
sense,  and  piety.  "  She  is  going  home,  sir,  very 
fast,"  said  the  veteran.  "  Have  you  known  her 
long  ? "  asked  the  paster.  "  About  a  month,  sir ;  I 
love  to  visit  the  sick ;  and  hearing  of  her  case,  from 
a  person  who  lives  close  by  our  camp,  I  went  to  see 
her.  I  bless  God  that  ever  I  did  go.  Her  conver- 
sation has  been  very  profitable  to  me."  "  I  rejoice," 
said  the  preacher,  "to  see  in  you,  as  I  trust,  a 
brother  soldier.  Though  we  differ  in  our  outward 
regimentals,  I  hope  we  serve  under  the  same  spiritual 
Captain.  I  will  go  with  you."  "  She  is  a  bright 
diamond,  sir,"  said  the  soldier,  "  and  will  soon  shine 
brighter  than  any  diamond  upon  earth." 

Over  the  face  of  the  invalid,  though  pale,  sunken, 
and  hollow,  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all 
understanding  had  cast  a  triumphant  calm.  The 
soldier,  after  a  short  pause,  silently  reached  out  his 
Bible  toward  the  pastor,  pointing  with  his  finger  at 
1  Cor.  xv,  55,  56,  58.  The  preacher  read  aloud,  "  O 
death,  where  is  thy  sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy 
victory  ?  The  sting  of  death  is  sin,  and  the  strength 
of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks  be  to  God,  which 
giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


ELIZABETH  WALLBRIDGE.  139 

At  the  sound  of  these  words  the  sufferer  opened  her 
eyes,  and  something  like  a  ray  of  divine  light 
beamed  on  her  countenance  as  she  said,  "  Victory ! 
victory!  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  She  re- 
lapsed again,  taking  no  further  notice  of  any  one 
present.  "  God  be  praised  for  the  triumph  of 
faith  !  "  said  the  pastor.  "  Amen  ! "  replied  the  sol- 
dier. A  severe  struggle  for  breath  took  place  in  the 
dying  young  woman,  which  was  soon  over.  "  My 
dear  friend,  do  you  not  feel  that  you  are  supported  ? " 
asked  the  pastor.  "  The  Lord  deals  very  gently  with 
me,"  she  replied.  "  Are  not  his  promises  now  very 
precious  to  you  ? "  "  They  are  all  yea .  and  amen  in 
Christ  Jesus."  "  Are  you  in  much  bodily  pain  ? " 
"  So  little  that  I  almost  forget  it."  "  How  good 
the  Lord  is ! "  "  And  how  unworthy  am  I ! "  "  You 
are  going  to  see  him  as  he  is."  "  I  think,  I  hope,  I 
believe  that  I  am."  "  What  are  your  views  of  the 
dark  valley  of  death,  now  that  you  are  passing 
through  it  ? "  "  It  is  not  dark."  "  Why  so  ? "  "  My 
Lord  is  there,  and  he  is  my  light  and  my  salvation." 
"  Have  you  any  fears  of  more  bodily  suffering  ? " 
"  The  Lord  deals  so  gently  with  me  I  can  trust 
him."  A  convulsion  came  on.  When  it  was  past 
she  said,  in  broken  gasps  and  sobs,  ".The  Lord  deals 
very  gently  with  me.  Lord,  I  am  thine,  save  me — 
Blessed  Jesus — precious  Saviour — His  blood  cleanseth 
from  all  sin — Who  shall  separate?  —  His  name  is 


140  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

"Wonderful — Thanks  be  to  God — He  giveth  us  the 
victory — I,  even  I,  am  saved — O  grace,  mercy,  and 
wonder — Lord,  receive  my  spirit !  Dear  sir — dear 
father,  mother,  friends,  I  am  going — but  all  is  well, 
well  —  " 

"  Farewell,"  said  the  preacher,  as  he  returned 
home ;  "  farewell,  dear  friend,  till  the  morning  of 
an  eternal  day  shall  renew  our  personal  intercourse. 
Thou  wast  a  brand  plucked  from  the  burning,  that 
thou  mightest  become  a  star  shining  in  the  firma- 
ment of  glory.  I  have*  seen  thy  light  and  thy 
good  works,  and  will  therefore  glorify  our  Father 
which  is  in  heaven." 

He  attended  her  funeral,  and  has  described  the 
scene,  more  beautiful  than  mournful.  An  aged 
Christian  matron,  "  remarkably  decent  looking," 
managed  the  few  and  simple  ceremonies  of  the 
occasion.  She  had  been  the  Methodist "  class-leader  " 
of  the  dead  maiden.  "  This,"  she  said  to  the  clergy- 
man, "  is  rather  a  sight  of  joy  than  of  sorrow."  "  Her 
soul  is  with  her  Saviour  in  Paradise,"  he  replied. 
"  I  am  but  a  poor  soldier,"  said  the  military  mourner, 
"  and  have  nothing  of  this  world's  goods  beyond 
my  daily  subsistence ;  but  I  would  not  exchange  my 
hope  of  salvation  in  the  next  world  for  all  that  this 
world  could  bestow  without  it.  What  is  wealth 
without  grace  ?  Blessed  be  God !  as  I  march  about 
from  one  quarters  to  another,  I  still  find  the  Lord 


ELIZABETH  WALLBRIDGE.  141 

wherever  I  go ;  and,  thanks  be  to  his  holy  name ! 
he  is  here  to-day  in  the  midst  of  this  company  of 
the  living  and  the  dead.  I  feel  that  it  is  good  to 
be  here." 

"  Peace,"  said  the  preacher,  as  he  retired  to  lead 
the  procession,  "  peace,  my  honored  sister,  be  to  thy 
memory  and  to  my  soul  till  we  meet  in  a  better 
world."  Her  humble  brethren  and  sisters  bore  her 
along  the  highway  to  the  grave  with  a  hymn,  the 
singing  of  which  was  led  by  a  venerable  Methodist 
of  Newport. 

Such  are  only  a  few  references  to  the  most  affect- 
ing, the  most  generally  read  of  Christian  idyls — The 
Life  and  death  of  Elizabeth  Wallbridge,  the  "  Dairy- 
man's Daughter,"  loved  and  wept  by  millions,  in  the 
palaces  of  the  wealthy,  the  cottages  and  hovels  of 
the  poor,  the  log-cabins  of  emigrants  in  the  frontier 
wildernesses  of  America  and  Australia,  and  in  the 
homes  of  converted  heathen  throughout  most  of  the 
missionary  world.*  No  history  of  Methodism  that 
should  omit  her  name  would  be  complete  ;  for 
though  her  simple  story  touches  no  important  chron- 
ological point  of  that  history,  none  of  its  great 
public  facts,  yet  what  better  illustration  do  its  an- 
nals afford  of  its  essential  spirit,  the  spirit  with- 

*  The  Dairyman's  Daughter,  an  Authentic  Narrative,  by  Rev.  Legh 
Richmond ;  comprising  much  additional  matter :  edited  by  S.  B.  Wick- 
ens,  and  published  at  the  Methodist  Book  Rooms,  New  York ;  the  beat 
edition  of  this  Christian  classic  yet  issued. 


WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

out  which  the  letter  would  be  dead?  what  better 
illustration  of  its  beneficent  and  appointed  task  of 
bearing  the  purifying  and  consoling  blessings  of  the 
Gospel  to  the  homes  of  the  lowly  ?  But  though 
her  beautiful  vision  flits  but  briefly  across  our 
historic  track,  yet  she  passes  over  it  as  an  angel, 
leaving  an  unfading  light  upon  her  path,  reminding 
Methodists  in  all  the  world,  and  probably  for  all 
ages,  of  the  great  lesson  of  their  cause,  its  provi- 
dential design,  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
poor.  And  her  life,  obscure  in  itself,  has  become 
historical  in  its  results;  thousands  have  owed  their 
salvation  to  its  record ;  tens  of  thousands  have 
received  comfort  and  strength  from  it  in  their 
hours  of  extremity.  It  has  been  translated  into 
at  least  thirty  languages,  and  her  grave  attracts 
to  her  native  island  more  pilgrims  than  go  to  see 
its  unrivaled  scenery,  or  to  gaze  upon  the  residence 
of  the  queen  of  her  country,  which  adorns  its 
beautiful  coast. 

In  1795  the  Isle  of  Wight  was  attached  to  the 
Portsmouth  circuit,  which  then  included  "  two  mis- 
sions," one  of  them  comprising  parts  of  Sussex  and 
Surrey,  the  other,  portions  of  the  island.  Five 
preachers  traveled  this  circuit.  One  of  them,  James 
Crabb,  while  preaching  in  Portsmouth,  was  instru- 
mental in  the  conversion  of  Elizabeth  Wallbridge, 
who  was  then  residing  in  that  town  as  a  domestic 


ELIZABETH   WALLBRIDOE.  143 

servant.*  On  returning  to  the  island  her  sanctified 
life,  Christian  conversations,  charities,  and  prayers, 
among  the  sick  and  poor,  were  productive  of  great 
good,  and  endeared  her  memory  to  all  circles  of 
its  inhabitants.  All  her  family  became  exemplary 
Christians,  and  one  of  her  brothers  was  a  useful 
local  preacher  among  the  islanders  for  more  than 
forty  years.  A  Methodist  chapel  now  marks  the 
scene  where  "  the  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horse- 
men thereof "  paused  for  a  moment  to  receive  her 
spirit,  and  hard  by  still  stands  the  Dairyman's  cot- 
tage, in  its  original  rustic  simplicity.  Methodism 
has  continued  to  prosper  on  the  Isle  of  Wight.  In 
1847  it  reported  twenty-three  local  preachers  and 
eleven  chapels,  though  it  is  but  twenty-one  miles 
long  and  thirteen  broad. 

Such  examples  of  rare  character  and  usefulness, 
in  obscure  life,  are  seldom  favored  with  the  recog- 
nition of  the  historian ;  but  the  truer  instinct  of 

*  See  the  facts  of  her  Methodistic  history  in  "  A  Further  Account 
of  the  Dairyman's  Daughter,  by  Rev.  Benjamin  Carvosso,"  (Wesleyan 
Magazine,  1838.)  This,  together  with  additional  letters  of  Elizabeth 
"Wallbridge,  her  Will,  a  letter  from  Rev.  Mr.  Crabb  respecting  her,  "  A 
Short  Account  of  the  Dairyman  "  himself,  and  other  interesting  docu- 
ments, is  given  in  the  Appendix  to  Mr.  Wickens's  edition  of  the 
"Dairyman's  Daughter."  As  Richmond  wrote  his  sketch  from  mem- 
ory, he  mistook  Mr.  Crabb,  the  itinerant,  for  a  missionary,  wind- 
bound  at  the  island,  on  his  way  to  New  South  Wales.  The  Dairy- 
man's Daughter  died  May  30,  1801.  Her  mother  died  a  few  months 
later.  The  Dairyman  survived  some  years,  and  died  in  the  faith, 
aged  eighty-four. 


144  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

higher  genius  perceives  their  peculiar,  their  beau- 
tiful, and  often  sublime  significance  to  our  common 
humanity  ;  and  Dinah  Evans  and  the  Dairyman's 
Daughter  live  in  English  literature,  teaching  and 
consoling  hundreds  of  thousands,  for  whom  most  of 
the  great  names  of  history  have  little  or  no  mean- 
ing. Lowly  laborers  like  these  have  not  only  exem- 
plified the  best  significance  of  Methodism,  but  have 
promoted  its  progress  hardly  less  effectively  than  its 
more  eminent  representatives. 


PART  II. 

SELINA,  COUNTESS   OF  HUNTINGDON,  AND 
CALYINISTIC  METHODISM. 


THE  COUNTESS  OF   HUNTINGDON  AND  HER 
COMPANIONS. 

Unity  of  Calvinistic  and  Arminian  Methodism — Sketch  of  the  Life  of 
Lady  Huntingdon  —  Her  Relations  with  Wesley  —  Whitefield  and 
his  Noble  Hearers  —  A  Scene  in  the  Mansion  of  the  Countess  —  Her 
Travels  and  Usefulness  —  Her  Control  of  Calvinistic  Methodism  — 
Lord  Dartmouth  —  Remarkable  Events — Trevecca  College  —  Inter- 
esting Scenes  there  —  Lady  Huntingdon's  Connection — Consequences 
of  Whitefield's  Death  —  The  Countess's  Plans  for  America  —  Mis- 
sionary Scenes  —  Her  Death  —  Her  Charities  —  Her  Character  — 
Results  of  Calvinistic  Methodism. 

WESLEY  and  WHITEFIELD  were  the  joint  apostles 
of  Methodism.  A  difference  of  opinions,  relating  to 
the  Calvinistic  controversy,  produced  a  divergence 
in  their  practical  plans,  which,  with  some  temporary 
asperities,  soon  became  cordial  and  obviously  provi- 
dential. It  never  broke  the  moral  unity  of  the  Meth- 
odistic  movement ;  but  the  advancing  current  became 
two  streams,  tending  in  the  same  direction,  and 
only  fertilizing  a  larger  range  of  the  common  field. 
"Wesley  became  distinctively  the  leader  of  Armin- 
ian Methodism,  Whitefield  of  Calvinistic  Methodism. 

10 


146  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

The  former  was  destined  to  become  the  general 
Methodism  of  later  days;  the  latter  had  a  more 
local  mission,  but  remains  strong  in  England,  espe- 
cially in  Wales,  to  our  day;  its  providential  work 
was  to  resuscitate  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Calvinistic 
or  Low  Church  party  of  the  Establishment,  and  to 
restore  the  expiring  Nonconformity  of  the  realm, 
"which,"  says  Isaac  Taylor,  "just  at  the  time  of  the 
Methodistic  revival,  was  rapidly  in  course  to  be 
found  nowhere  but  in  books;"  while,  as  this  same 
high  authority  (himself  a  Churchman)  admits,  the 
Anglican  Church  itself  had  become  "an  ecclesias- 
tical system,  under  which  the  people  of  England  had 
lapsed  into  heathenism,  or  a  state  hardly  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  it." 

But,  though  Whitefield  was  the  apostle  of  Calvin- 
istic Methodism,  a  woman  was  its  virtual  founder. 
Whitefield  designed  not  to  establish  a  Methodist 
sect,  yet  circumstances  compelled  him,  after  his 
divergence  from  Wesley,  to  give  a  somewhat  organ- 
ized form  to  the  results  of  his  labors  among  the  Cal- 
vinistic adherents  who  gathered  about  him.  Lady 
Elizabeth  Hastings  had  patronized  the  little  band 
of  Methodists  at  Oxford ;  Lady  Margaret  Hastings, 
her  sister,  had  adopted,  through  her  influence,  the 
Methodist  sentiments,  and  afterward  married  Ingham, 
who  was  one  of  the  Oxford  Methodists,  and  the  com- 
panion of  "Wesley  in  Georgia.  Her  influence  over 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  147 

her  sister-in-law  Selina,  the  Countess  of  Hunting- 
don,* led  the  countess,  during  a  serious  sickness, 
to  a  religious  life,  and  to  a  strong  sympathy  with 
the  Methodists.  Bishop  Benson,  who  had  ordained 
Whitefield,  and  had  been  tutor  to  her  husband,  the 
Earl  of  Huntingdon,  was  called  by  the  latter  to 
restore  his  wife  to  a  "saner"  mind.  The  good 
bishop  failed  in  the  attempt,  and  expressed  regret 
that  he  had  ever  laid  his  hands  on  Whitefield. 
"  Mark  my  words,  my  lord,"  replied  the  countess  ; 
"  when  upon  your  dying  bed,  that  will  be  one  of 
the  ordinations  upon  which  you  will  reflect  with 
pleasure."  The  prediction  was  fulfilled.  The  bishop, 
when  he  oame  to  die,  sent  Whitefield  a  present  of 
ten  guineas,  and  asked  an  interest  in  his  prayers. 
Lady  Huntingdon,  though  remotely  related  to  the 
royal  family,  and  moving  in  the  highest  circles  of 
aristocratic  life,  frequented,  with  Wesley  and  White- 
field,  the  Moravian  societies  in  London,  and  at  the 
separation  of  Wesley  from  them,  co-operated  with 
the  Methodist  party.  She  invited  him  to  her  resi- 
dence at  Donnington  Park,  where  he  often  preached. 
She  adopted  heartily  his  doctrine  of  Christian  Per- 
fection. "  The  doctrine,"  she  wrote  him,  "  I  hope 
to  live  and  die  by;  it  is  absolutely  the  most  com- 
plete thing  I  know."  She  encouraged  him  in  his 
extraordinary  labors,  and  especially  in  the  provision 
*  Born  1707. 


148  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

of  a  lay  ministry  as  the  great  necessity  of  the  times. 
Susanna  "Wesley,  as  we  have  seen,  really  founded  the 
lay  ministry  of  Methodism,  by  determining  Wesley 
to  recognize  Thomas  Maxfield  as  a  preacher.  Lady 
Huntingdon,  however,  co-operated  with  her  in  this 
most  important  crisis  of  the  Methodistic  move- 
ment, an  event  which  forecast  its  destiny.  The 
countess  heard  Maxfield,  and  wrote  to  Wesley  in 
the  warmest  terms  respecting  him.  "He  is,"  she 
said,  "  one  of  the  greatest  instances  of  God's  peculiar 
favor  that  I  know.  He  has  raised  from  the  stones 
one  to  sit  among  the  princes  of  his  people ;  he  is  my 
astonishment ;  how  is  God's  power  shown  in  weak- 
ness ! "  Her  biographer  intimates  that  she  really 
induced  Maxfield  to  take  the  important  step  of 
preaching. 

Her  Calvinistic  opinions  led  her  to  patronize  White- 
field  when  he  separated  from  Wesley,  and  her  talents, 
wealth,  and  influence  placed  her  at  the  head  of  Cal- 
vinistic Methodism ;  but  she  endeavored  to  secure  a 
good  understanding  between  the  great  evangelists. 
She  wrote  to  each,  recommending  their  .closer  co-oper- 
ation, and  not  without  effect.  Whitefield  preached 
in  Wesley's  chapel,  Wesley  reading  the  prayers ;  the 
next  Sunday  Wesley  officiated  at  Whitefield's  Taber- 
nacle, assisted  by  him,  and  twelve  hundred  persons 
received  the  Lord's  Supper  from  their  hands  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  sermon.  The  reconciliation  was 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  149 

strengthened  by  a  powerful  discourse  to  an  over- 
flowing assembly  at  Wesley's  chapel  the  following 
day,  by  Howell  Harris,  the  Welsh  colaborer  of  both 
the  great  leaders.  Their  friendship  remained  unin- 
terrupted during  the  rest  of  their  lives.  "  Thanks  be 
to  God,"  wrote  the  countess,  "for  the  love  and 
unanimity  which  have  been  displayed  on  this  occa- 
sion. May  the  God  of  peace  and  harmony  unite  us 
all  in  the  bond  of  affection." 

When  Wesley's  first  conference  was  held  in 
London  (1744)  the  whole  body  was  received  at 
Lady  Huntingdon's  mansion,  for  the  countess  still 
considered  Methodism  a  common  cause.  Wesley 
preached  there  from  a  befitting  text:  "What  hath 
God  wrought?"  Piers,  of  Bexley,  and  Hodges,  of 
Wenvo,  Methodist  clergymen,  took  part  in  the  serv- 
ice ;  while  Maxfield,  Richards,  Bennet,  and  Downes, 
lay  preachers,  sat  around  them,  recognized  as  genu- 
ine, though  unordained  embassadors  of  Christ.  This 
was  the  first  of  those  household  sermons  which  after- 
ward, under  Whitefield,  gave  to  her  ladyship's  resi- 
dence in  London  the  character  of  a  chapel.  By  her 
influence  with  the  government  brave  John  Kelson 
(one  of  Wesley's  mightiest  lay  preachers)  was  released 
from  impressment  in  the  army,  after  having  been 
marched  about  the  country  with  his  regiment  for 
nearly  three  months,  and  immediately  resumed  his 
labors  as  "  a  good  soldier  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 


150  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM 

At  the  death  of  her  husband  Lady  Huntingdon 
devoted  her  life  to  religious  labors,  and  in  1748 
invited  Whitefield  to  preach  in  her  house  at  Chelsea, 
near  London,  hitherto  a  resort  for  the  highest  classes 
of  the  fashionable  and  aristocratic  world.  She  soon 
after  appointed  him  one  of  her  chaplains.  Paul 
preached  privately  to  those  that  were  of  reputation, 
thought  "Whitefield ;  he  therefore  concurred  in  her 
ladyship's  proposal  to  combine  with  his  public  labors, 
among  the  crowds  at  his  Tabernacle,  and  the  ten 
thousands  at  Moorfields,  private  sermons  at  the  Chel- 
sea mansion.  Notable  men  heard  there  the  truth 
from  his  eloquent  lips.  Chesterfield  listened  to  him 
with  delight,  and  gave  him  one  of  his  courtly  com- 
pliments :  "  Sir,  I  will  not  tell  you  what  I  shall  tell 
others,  how  I  approve  you."  He  opened  for  the 
evangelist  his  chapel  at  Bretby  Hall,  and  several 
of  his  noble  relatives  were  claimed  by  Whitefield 
as  his  spiritual  trophies ;  his  wife  and  her  sister,  the 
Countess  Delitz,  died  in  the  faith.  Horace  Walpole 
heard  him  with  admiration,  though  his  rampant  wit 
trifled  with  him  behind  his  back.  Hume  listened 
with  wonder,  and  said  he  would  go  twenty  miles 
to  hear  him.  Bolingbroke  complimented  him,  and 
received  his  printed  sermons  and  his  visits;  his 
brother,  Lord  St.  John,  became  a  convert,  and 
died  in  the  hope  of  the  Gospel.  Many  ladies 
of  the  highest  aristocratic  rank  became  devoted 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  151 

Christians,  and  ornaments  to  the  Church.  The 
Marchioness  of  Lothian  arrived  in  London  in  a 
dying  condition  about  this  time,  and  joined  with 
the  Countess  of  Leven,  Lady  Balgonie,  Lady 
Frances  Gardiner,  Lady  Jane  JSTimmo,  and  Lady 
Mary  Hamilton,  in  establishing  a  meeting  for 
prayer  and  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  to  be  held 
alternately  at  each  other's  houses,  which  continued 
to  be  well  attended  and  singularly  useful  for  many 
years.  It  was  confined  to  a  select  circle  of  women 
of  high  station,  many  of  whom  adorned  the  doctrine 
which  they  professed  by  a  life  of  holiness  and  self- 
denial  amid  their  distinguished  associates.  Still 
later,  the  Countess  of  Northesk  and  Hopetown,  the 
daughters  of  Lord  Leven,  the  Countess  of  Buchan, 
Lady  Maxwell,  Lady  Glenorchy,  Wilhelmina,  Count- 
ess of  Leven,  (formerly  Lady  Balgonie,)  with  her 
sisters,  Lady  Kuthven  and  Lady  Banff,  Lady  Hen- 
rietta Hope,  and  Sophia,  Countess  of  Haddington, 
were  devoted  members  of  this  select  band.  Thus 
while  Methodism  was  gathering  its  societies  from 
the  humblest  classes,  at  the  Tabernacle  and  the 
Foundry,  it  bound  together,  in  similar  assemblies,  a 
few  of  the  "  noble  "  in  the  aristocratic  quarter  of  the 
metropolis. 

Meanwhile  Whitefield's  success  opened  the  way  for 
the  utmost  zeal  and  liberality  of  the  countess.  She 
gave  away,  for  religious  purposes,  more  than  five 


152  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

hundred  thousand  dollars.  She  sold  all  her  jewels, 
and  by  the  proceeds  erected  chapels  for  the  poor. 
She  relinquished  her  aristocratic  equipage,  her  ex- 
pensive residences  and  liveried  servants,  that  her 
means  of  usefulness  might  be  more  ample.  She 
purchased  theaters,  halls,  and  dilapidated  chapels 
in  London,  Bristol,  and  Dublin,  and  fitted  them  up 
for  public  worship.  New  chapels  were  also  erected 
by  her  aid  in  many  places  in  England,  Wales, 
and  Ireland.  Distinguished  Calvinistic  clergymen, 
Churchmen  as  well  as  Dissenters,  co-operated  with 
her  plans,  and  were  more  or  less  under  her  direction. 
Romaine,  Yenn,  Madan,  Berridge,  Toplady,  Shirley, 
Fletcher,  Benson,  and  a  host  of  others,  shared  her 
beneficent  labors.  She  met  them  in  frequent  con- 
ferences, attended  sometimes  by  the  Wesleys.  She 
made  tours  through  parts  of  England  and  "Wales, 
accompanied  by  like-minded  noble  ladies  and  by  emi- 
nent evangelists,  who  preached  wherever  they  went, 
in  the  churches  and  in  the  open  air.  She  mapped 
all  England  into  six  districts  or  circuits,  and  sent  out 
six  "canvassers"  from  among  her  most  successful 
adherents,  to  travel  them,  and  to  «preach  in  every 
community,  large  or  small,  which  was  not  preoccu- 
pied by  similar  laborers ;  and  at  the  time  of  her 
death  her  influence  had  extended  over  the  four  sec- 
tions of  the  United  Kingdom. 

It  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  define 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  153 

the  mutual  relations  of  the  Calvinistic  Methodist 
societies.  Calvinism  has  always  tended,  by  some 
occult  law,  to  ecclesiastical  independence,  and  has 
thereby  favored  freedom  of  thought  rather  than 
effectiveness  of  organization.  Whitefield  and  Howell 
Harris  were  the  chief  apostles  of  Calvinistic  Meth- 
odism ;  Romaine,  Madan,  Venn,  and  Berridge,  their 
coadjutors;  but  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon  was 
their  most  important  center  of  union.  Her  good 
sense,  the  influence  of  her  social  position  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  British  aristocracy,  (an  important  consid- 
eration to  the  English  mind,)  and,  still  more,  her 
munificence,  upon  which  most  of  the  Calvinistic 
chapels  were  more  or  less  dependent,  enabled  her 
to  centralize  their  sympathies  around  her  own  per- 
son, and  she  never  abused  the  power  which  she 
thus  commanded.  No  formal  conferences  were  held ; 
few,  if  indeed  any,  representative  consultations 
were  had ;  but  the  Calvinistic  evangelists  naturally 
resorted  to  her  house  for  counsel  with  each  other, 
and  always  with  her.  Most  of  their  leaders  were 
her  chaplains,  a  fact  which  gave  her  a  paramount 
influence.  Severely  practical,  and  never  whimsical 
in  her  judgments,  she  added  to  her  other  sources 
of  power  a  moral  authority  to  which  all  reverently 
deferred. 

While  really  directing  the  whole  Calvinistic  move- 
ment of  Methodism,  she  never  transcended  what  was 


154  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

deemed  the  propriety  of  her  sex  by  any  activity 
in  the  public  assemblies  of  her  societies.  She 
"itinerated"  among  them,  but  was  always  accom- 
panied, not  by  Whitefield,  for  his  movements  were 
top  rapid  for  her,  but  by  Harris,  Romaine,  Venn, 
Fletcher,  or  Madan,  they  preaching,  while  she  main- 
tained her  womanly  decorum  as  a  hearer,  planning 
their  labors  and  counseling  the  societies  privately. 

Her  excursions  among  them  were  frequent.  In 
1760  she  went  into  Yorkshire  with  Romaine  and 
Yenn,  and  was  joined  there  by  Whitefield.  They 
traveled  and  preached,  spreading  a  profound  sen- 
sation throughout  their  course.  In  1762  she  again 
visited  that  county,  and,  with  Venn,  Romaine, 
Madan,  and  Whitefield,  was  present  at  Wesley's 
Conference  in  Leeds.  Their  attendance  seems  to 
have  been  purely  one  of  courtesy  and  Christian 
fellowship.  No  dissentient  opinion  disturbed  the 
deliberations ;  Wesley  expressed  in  his  Journal 
thankfulness  to  God  for  "his  gracious  presence, 
which  attended  it  from  the  beginning."  The  oc- 
casion must  have  been  one  of  deep  interest,  pre- 
senting, as  it  did,  an  imposing  representation  of  the 
whole  Methodist  movement,  in  the  persons  of  most 
of  its  great  leaders,  and  crowded  by  an  unusual 
attendance  of  local  preachers,  class-leaders,  and 
stewards. 

After  the  session  Whitefield  went  to  Scotland, 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  155 

rousing  the  towns  and  villages  in  his  course.  The 
pountess  hastened  to  Knaresborough,  where  she  had 
frequent  meetings  with  the  evangelical  clergy  of  the 
shire,  inspiriting  them  for  more  energetic  labors. 
Romaine  continued  with  her,  preaching  daily  and 
with  powerful  effect.  Yenn,  who  had  charge  of  the 
parish  of  Huddersfield,  wrote  to  her,  after  her  depart- 
ure, with  an  overflowing  heart,  respecting  the  "  light 
and  life"  which  her  visit  had  spread  among  the 
Yorkshire  Churches.  The  catholic-minded  Grim- 
shaw,  who  was  evangelically  the  archbishop  of  York- 
shire, and  was  now  about  to  depart  to  the  Church 
triumphant,  rejoiced  to  see  any  new  laborer  enter 
his  great  Methodist  diocese.  He  wrote  to  the  count- 
ess, after  her  visit,  that  the  "Lord's  work  prospers 
amazingly  among  us,"  and  that  the  societies  were 
everywhere  in  a  good  state.  So  pure  at  this  time 
was  the  charity,  so  fervent  the  zeal  of  both  classes 
of  Methodists,  that  it  was  indeed  difficult  for  either 
themselves  or  their  enemies  to  distinguish  between 
them.  Grimshaw  wrote,  with  a  sort  of  rapture,  of  the 
blessings  "  showered  by  the  Lord "  upon  them  all 
while  the  countess  and  her  chaplains  were  in  York- 
shire. "  How,"  he  says,  "  did  our  hearts  burn  within 
us  to  proclaim  his  love  and  grace  to  perishing  sinners. 
Come  and  animate  us  afresh ;  aid  us  by  your  coun- 
sels and  your  prayers;  and  stir  us  up  to  renewed 
activity  in  the  cause  of  God.  All  the  dear  apostles 


156  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

go  on  well ;  all  pray  for  your  dear  ladyship,  and  all 
long  for  your  coming  among  us  again."  He  had 
been,  he  continues,  on  a  "long  round"  since  she 
was  with  them,  and  saw  Ingham,  Yenn,  Conyers, 
and  Bentley,  "  all  alive,  and  preaching  Christ  cru- 
cified with  wonderful  success."  Nelson,  Grimshaw, 
Ingham,  and  Yenn,  had  kindled  a  flame  of  Christian 
charity  and  zeal  in  Yorkshire  which  still  glows  over 
their  graves.  Not  only  these  early  and  beautiful 
examples  of  religious  fellowship,  but  the  abiding 
results  of  Methodism  in  that  region  are  among  its 
best  vindications. 

Fletcher  proposed,  at  the  next  visit  of  the  countess 
to  Yorkshire,  to  accompany  her  to  that  "  Goshen  of 
the  land,  to  learn  the  love  of  Christ  at  the  feet  of  his 
brethren  and  fathers  there."  She  was  also  attended 
by  Whitefield,  Yenn,  Howell  Harris,  Townsend,  Dr. 
Conyers,  and  Lady  Anne  Erskine,  daughter  of  Lord 
Buchan ;  and  Madan  joined  them  afterward.  They 
had  public  worship  twice  a  day,  Fletcher  being  the 
chief  preacher,  as  Whitefield  left  them  early  for 
Wales.  They  paused  at  Yenn's  parish,  in  Hudders- 
field,  where  Fletcher  preached  twice  to  large  con- 
gregations and  with  manifest  effect.  They  also 
entered  the  parish  of  Grimshaw,  who  had  now  gone 
to  his  rest.  Fletcher  and  Townsend  addressed  thou- 
sands there  who  had  assembled  from  the  towns  and 
villages  round  about.  Madan,  Fletcher,  and  Yenn, 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  157 

assisted  by  several  Yorkshire  clergymen,  preached 
incessantly  for  some  weeks,  not  only  in  that  county, 
but  in  the  adjacent  shires  to  vast  multitudes.  It  was, 
in  fine,  a  religious  jubilee  throughout  that  part  of 
England.  Whitefield  again  joined  them,  and  spread 
widely  the  public  interest.  The  Churches  were 
quickened,  hundreds  if  not  thousands  of  hearers 
were  awakenedjwind  the  whole  region  was  aroused. 
In  1768  the  indefatigable  Countess  made  excur- 
sions into  Gloucestershire  and  neighboring  counties, 
attended  by  a  corps  of  regular  and  irregular  preach- 
ers, whose  ministry  spread  a  great  sensation  through- . 
out  their  course.  "  A  remarkable  power  from  on 
high,"  wrote  the  countess,  "  accompanied  the  message 
of  His  servants,  and  many  felt  the  arrows  of  distress." 
Shirley,  Komaine,  Madan,  Yenn,  and  Maddock  were 
with  her,  and  Whitefield  joined  them  at  Cheltenham. 
They  preached  in  the  churches  when  they  could 
obtain  permission ;  when  it  was  denied  they  betook 
themselves  to  Methodist  and  Dissenting  chapels,  to 
church-yards,  to  highways,  and  fields.  At  Chelten- 
ham the  church  was  refused  them  by  its  rector  and 
wardens,  but  Lord  Dartmouth,  noted  as  a  Methodist 
himself,  opened  his  mansion  for  them.  Downing, 
his  chaplain,  was  a  Methodist  evangelist,  and  had 
done  much  good  in  the  neighborhood.  His  lordship 
hoped  to  obtain  the  church  for  Whitefieldvbut  when 
the  latter  arrived  it  was  denied  to  him  also.  An 


158  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

immense  assembly  had  been  attracted  by  the  fame 
of  the  preacher  and  the  exertions  of  the  earl ;  finding 
the  church  door  closed,  Whitefield  mounted  a  tomb- 
stone and  cried  aloud,  "  Ho !  every  one  that  thirsteth 
come  ye  to  the  waters ! "  A  singular  spectacle  was 
it — the  closed  church,  the  graves  covered  with  thou- 
sands of  the  people,  and  such  churchmen  as  Yenn, 
Madan,  Shirley,  Maddock,  Talbofy  Rowlands,  and 
Whitefield,  ordained  and  gowned,  and  yet  proscribed 
for  preaching  to  the  famishing  multitudes  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Anglican  Reformation;  and  this,  too, 
while  a  peer  of  the  realm,  a  nobleman  distinguished 
for  his  wealth  and  dignity,  admired  by  the  king,  the 
first  Lord  of  Trade,  sworn  of  the  Privy  Council,  and 
Principal  Secretary  of  State  for  the  American  De- 
partment, stood  with  his  family  among  them,  their 
friend  and  patron.*  Such  was  the  treatment  of 
Methodism  by  the  Established  Church  of  the  land. 

Yenn  spoke  of  this  "  field  day,"  and  those  which 
immediately  ensued,  as  remarkable  for  interest  and 
success  beyond  what  his  "powers  could  describe." 

*  America  still  respects  the  name  of  the  noble  Methodist  at  the  col- 
lege (Dartmouth,  Hanover,  N.  H.)  which  he  patronized.  It  was  to 
him  that  Cowper  alluded  in  the  verses : 

"We  boast  some  rich  ones  whom  the  Gospel  sways, 
And  one  who  wears  a  coronet  and  prays." 

"They  call  my  Lord  Dartmouth  an  enthusiast,"  said  George  III.; 
"  but  surely  he  says  nothing  on  religion  but  what  any  Christian  may 
and  ought  to  say."  There  was  a  vein  of  downright  good  sense  running 
through  the  insanity  of  the  good  king. 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  159 

>• 

He  says  he  was  overwhelmed  by  a  sense  of  the  awful 

«/  i/ 

power  and  presence  of  Jehovah ;  that  the  effect  of 
Whitefield's  discourse  was  so  irresistible  that  some 
of  the  hearers  fell  prostrate  upon  the  graves,  others 
sobbed  aloud,  some  wept  in  silence,  and  almost  the 
whole  assembly  seemed  struck  with  awe.  When  the 
preacher  came  to  the  application  of  his  text  to  the 
ungodly,  "  his  word  cut  like  a  sword."  Many  cried 
out  with  anguish.  At  this  juncture  Whitefield  made 
an  "awful  pause"  of  a  few  seconds,  then  burst  into 
a  flood  of  tears.  Madan  and  Yenn  stood  up  during 
this  short  interval,  and  exhorted  the  people  to  restrain 
as  much  as  possible  their  emotions.  Twice  afterward 
they  had  to  repeat  the  same  advice.  "  O  with  what 
eloquence,"  writes  Yenn,  "  what  energy,  what  melt- 
ing tenderness  did  Whitefield  beseech  sinners  to  be 
reconciled  to  God,  to  come  to  him  for  life  everlasting, 
and  rest  their  weary  souls  in  Christ  the  Saviour." 
"When  the  sermon  was  ended  the  people  seemed  spell- 
bound to  the  spot.  Madan,  Talbot,  Downing,  £nd 
Yenn  found  ample  employment  in  endeavoring  to 
comfort  those  who  had  broken  down  under  a  sense 
of  guilt.  They  separated  in  different  directions 
among  the  crowd,  and  each  was  quickly  surrounded 
by  an  attentive  audience  still  eager  to  hear  the  word 
of  life. 

Turned   away  from    the   church,   the   evangelists 
found  shelter  at  Lord  Dartmouth's  mansion.    White- 


160  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

* 

field  administered  the  sacrament  there  the  same  even- 
ing. Talbot  "  exhorted,"  and  Venn  closed  the  day 
with  prayer  and  thanksgiving.  The  next  day  was 
equally  interesting.  Whitefield  addressed  "a  pro- 
digious congregation"  in  the  church-yard,  and  Talbot 
preached  at  night  at  the  earl's  residence,  where  all 
the  rooms  and  the  adjacent  grounds  were  crowded. 
A  table  was  brought  out  before  the  door,  and  White- 
field  mounting  it,  again  addressed  them  with  over- 
whelming effect.  Intelligence  of  these  extraordinary 
scenes  soon  spread  abroad,  and  the  next  day  Charles 
Wesley,  and  many  Methodists  from  Bristol,  Glouces- 
ter, Tewkesbury,  Rodborough,  and  their  neighboring 
villages,  arrived  and  shared  in  the  Pentecost ;  but  all 
"  loud  weeping  and  piercing  cries  had  subsided,  and 
the  work  of  conversion  went  on,  and  much  solid  good 
was  done."  Thus  did  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon, 
silently  present  with  her  apostolic  associates,  spread 
through  their  agency  the  awakening  power  of  the 
G^pel  through  much  of  the  land.  She  planned  and 
conducted  these  measures. 

It  is  supposed  that  there  were  about  forty  clergy- 
men of  the  Establishment  publicly  known  about  this 
period  as  "evangelical."  Wesley  had  tried  in  vain 
to  introduce  among  them  some  plan  of  co-operation 
which  should  not  compromise  their  opinions.  With 
Whitefield  and  Lady  Huntingdon  he  had  better 
success.  He  frequently  met  them  in  London,  and 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  161 

preached  at  the  residence  of  the  countess  amid  throngs 
not  only  of  the  aristocracy,  but  of  the  Calvinistic 
Methodist  ministers.  He  occupied  their  pulpits, 
also,  in  his  travels  through  the  country.  Still  later 
the  countess,  Whitefield,  and  the  two  Wesley s 
cemented  their  Christian  harmony  by  something 
like  a  formal,  "  a  quadruple  alliance,"  as  Charles 
Wesley  called  it.  They  agreed  to  meet  as  often  as 
convenient  and  co-operate  in  their  common  work. 

Lady  Huntingdon  prized  highly  Wesley's  counsels. 
She  could  not  fail  to  perceive  his  peculiar  ability  as 
an  ecclesiastical  administrator,  and,  more  than  any 
other  leader  of  Calvinistic  Methodism,  shared  his 
legislative  and  executive  genius ;  but  her  sex  did  not 
admit  of  its  exertion  to  the  extent  needed  by  her 
societies.  She  consulted  him  often  on  important 
occasions.  She  submitted  to  him,  and  also  to  Venn, 
Romaine,  and  her  other  conspicuous  associates,  her 
plan  for  the  education  of  preachers,  from  which  arose 
her  Trevecca  College.  Wesley  heartily  approved 
the  scheme ;  it  was,  in  fact,  the  exemplification  of  a 
design  which  he  himself  had  propounded  in  his  first 
and  second  Conferences. 

Her  zeal  and  munificence  provided  places  of 
worship  faster  than  they  could  be  supplied  by  her 
preachers,  especially  in  Wales.  The  college  for  the 
preparation  of  clergymen  was  therefore  opened,  in  a 

romantic  and  dilapidated  castle  of  the  twelfth  cen- 

11 


162  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

tuiy,  at  Trevecca,  the  birthplace  of  Howell  Harris, 
the  "Welsh  Methodist  evangelist.  Its  preparation  for 
the  purpose  exhausted  all  the  available  means  of  the 
countess;  but  Ladies  Glenorchy  and  Chesterfield, 
with  other  aristocratic  but  devout  friends,  gave  her 
large  contributions.  "Wesley  having  heartily  approved 
her  plans,  she  submitted  it  to  Fletcher  of  Madeley. 
At  the  close  of  the  day  on  which  he  received  her 
letter  he  retired  to  his  rest  in  prayerful  meditation 
respecting  it.  In  the  dreams  of  the  night  the  scheme 
was  revolving  through  his  thoughts,  and  a  young 
man,  "  James  Glazebrook,  collier  and  getter-out  of 
iron-stone  in  the  woods  of  Madeley,"  appeared  as  in 
a  vision  before  him  —  a  suitable  student  with  whom 
to  begin  "  the  school  of  the  prophets."  "  To  my 
great  surprise,"  wrote  Fletcher  to  the  countess,  "he 
came  into  Madeley  the  next  morning.  I  found,  upon 
inquiry,  that  he  was  as  much  drawn  to  come  as  I  to 
speak  of  him."  He  had  been  seven  years  converted, 
had  "  no  mean  gift  in  singing  and  prayer,"  and  his 
"judgment  and  sense  were  superior  to  his  station." 
Such  was  the  first  pupil  of  Trevecca.* 

*  Lady  Huntingdon  Portrayed,  chap.  8.  Glazebrook  became  one  of 
Lady  Huntingdon's  preachers,  and  subsequently,  by  the  aid  of  Fletcher 
and  the  countess,  obtained  ordination  in  the  Established  Church.  He 
died  vicar  of  Belton,  Leicestershire.  He  was  distinguished  for  his 
piety  and  usefulness,  and  also  for  his  satirical  humor.  Works  from  his 
pen  on  extemporary  preaching,  infant  baptism,  and  other  subjects,  as 
also  a  posthumous  volume  of  sermons,  were  published.  A  memoir  ol 
him  appeared  in  the  Evangelical  Register  (England)  in  1836. 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  163 

Fletcher  himself  became  its  president;  and  at  a 
later  date  Joseph  Benson,  the  Wesleyan  commenta- 
tor, was  appointed  its  head  master.  Students  soon 
flocked  to  the  school.  Religious  opinions  were  not 
made  a  test  for  admission ;  but  candidates  who  pro- 
fessed to  have  been  truly  converted  to  God,  and  were 
resolved  to  devote  themselves  to  the  ministry,  in 
either  the  Established  Church  or  any  denomination 
of  Dissenters,  were  welcomed,  and  provided,  at  the 
countess's  expense,  with  board,  tuition,  and  a  yearly 
suit  of  clothes. 

In  August,  1769,  a  remarkable  scene  was  exhibited 
at  Trevecca.  It  was  the  celebration  of  the  first  anni- 
versary of  the  college ;  and  so  catholic  was  yet  the 
whole  Methodist  movement,  that  both  its  Calvinistic 
and  Arminian  leaders  met  there  in  harmony,  and 
gave  an  example  of  Christian  charity  which  should 
never  be  forgotten  by  their  successors.  Nearly  a 
week  before  the  celebration  many  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished evangelists  had  arrived,  and  vast  congre- 
gations, sermons,  exhortations,  prayers,  and  conver- 
sions, in  the  court-yard  of  the  castle,  marked  these 
preliminary  days.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  anni- 
versary the  Eucharist  was  administered,  and  shared 
by  Methodists  of  all  opinions.  Its  administrators 
were  Wesley  and  Shirley,  the  exponent  men  of  the 
Calvinism  and  Arminianism  of  the  day.  A  large 
company  of  clergymen  first  partook  of  it,  then  the 


164  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

students,  and  afterward  the  countess,  and  a  train 
of  "elect  ladies,"  mostly  of  high  rank,  followed  by 
the  people.  Fletcher  preached  in  the  court  at  two 
o'clock,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  sermon  in  Welsh, 
after  which  all  the  clergymen  dined  with  Lady  Hunt- 
ingdon, while  bread  and  meat  were  distributed  from 
ample  baskets  to  the  multitude  without.  In  the 
afternoon  "Wesley  preached,  and  Fletcher  followed 
with  a  second  sermon.  The  evening  was  devoted  to 
a  "love-feast,"  the  primitive  Agapa,  derived,  in  a 
simplified  form,  through  the  London  Moravians;  it 
was  an  occasion  of  extraordinary  interest ;  all  classes 
sat  "  together  as  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus." 
Howell  Harris,  with  a  band  of  his  Welsh  converts, 
took  part  in  the  exercises  in  their  own  language, 
and  narratives  of  Christian  experience,  prayers,  and 
hymns  occupied  the  hours.  Wesley,  always  on  the 
wing,  left  the  next  day;  but  Fletcher,  Shirley,  and 
other  clergymen  tarried  several  days  in  brotherly 
devotions,  preaching  from  a  platform  in  the  court- 
yard to  the  multitudes  who  still  lingered  with  them 
in  deep  religious  interest. 

Lady  Huntingdon's  "  Connection "  holds  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  history  of  the  Methodistic  move- 
ment. It  extended  the  movement  effectively  among 
British  Calvinists,  whether  within  or  without  the 
Church,  and  thus  contributed  inestimably  to  that 
general  but  potent  influence  which  impartial  Church- 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  165 

men  and  Dissenters  acknowledge  to  have  been  ex- 
erted by  Methodism  on  the  whole  later  progress  of 
religion  in  Great  Britain.  Like  Wesley,  Lady- 
Huntingdon,  with  Whitefield,  Howell  Harris,  and 
most  of  her  preachers,  was  strongly  attached  to  the 
Church  of  England.  They  wished  not  to  be  classed 
with  Dissenters ;  but  in  order  to  protect  her  chapels 
from  suppression,  or  appropriation  by  the  Established 
Church,  she  had  to  avail  herself,  in  1779,  of  the 
"  Toleration  Act,"  a  law  by  which  all  religious  socie- 
ties that  would  not  be  subject  to  the  established 
ecclesiastical  power,  could  control  their  own  chapels 
by  an  avowal,  direct  or  virtual,  of  dissent.  Her 
"  Connection  "  thus  took  its  place  among  the  Dis- 
senting Churches,  and  Eomaine,  Townsend,  Venn, 
and  many  others  of  her  most  influential  colaborers 
belonging  to  the  Establishment  ceased  to  preach  in 
her  chapels. 

The  famous  Calvinistic  controversy  (1770)  which 
called  forth  Fletcher's  celebrated  "  Checks,"  led  to 
the  final  divergence  of  Calvinistic  from  Arminian 
Methodism.  The  death  of  Whitefield  in  America 
about  the  same  time  was  a  disastrous  blow  to  the 
cause.  A  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  was  observed  in 
all  the  chapels  of  the  countess  in  behalf  of  their 
cause  in  Georgia.  In  1772,  having  bought  up  all 
claims  of  heirs-at-law  to  Whitefield's  property  in  the 
province,  she  formed  the  design  of  appointing  a 


166  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

principal  and  a  pastor  for  the  Orphan  House,  and 
of  dispatching  with  them  a  corps  of  preachers  to 
prosecute  the  evangelization  of  the  southern  colonies. 
She  issued  a  circular,  calling  upon  all  the  ministers 
and  students  in  her  "  Connection "  to  meet  at  Tre- 
vecca,  there  to  examine  such  pupils  as  might  volun- 
teer for  the  service;  to  consecrate  the  projected 
measure  with  religious  exercises ;  and  to  "  plan  out 
the  work  of  the  Connection  more  effectually  in 
England,  North  and  South  Wales,  and  Ireland." 
Accordingly,  on  the  9th  of  October  another  mem- 
orable jubilee  began  in  the  ancient  castle  of  Tre- 
vecca. 

Accompanied  by  eminent  clergymen  and  laymen, 
she  was  met  on  the  route  by  students  from  the  col- 
lege, and  many  visitors  wending  their  way  from 
various  parts  of  the  country  toward  the  Welsh 
Methodist  Mount  Zion.  On  their  arrival  they  were 
received  by  the  students  with  the  hymn,  "Wel- 
come, blessed  servants,"  and  with  prayer  at  their 
entrance;  and  at  dinner  the  students  sang,  "Ye 
servants  of  God,  your  Master  proclaim."  A  ser- 
mon was  preached  in  the  evening,  and  the  day  was 
closed  with  supper,  singing,  and  pr-ayers.  Public 
services  were  begun  the  next  day,  and  were  con- 
tinued for  a  fortnight.  Independently  of  the  Ameri- 
can mission,  the .  occasion  was  one  of  great  local 
benefit,  and  of  general  advantage  to  the  Calvin- 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  167 

istic  cause  by  the  revision  of  its  interests  in  all  the 
United  Kingdom. 

A  missionary  band  was  organized,  and  on  the  2Tth 
of  October  sailed  from  Blackwall  to  Gravesend,  for 
America.  It  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  those  sub- 
lime spectacles  of  Missionary  embarkation  which, 
from  the  impulse  that  Methodism  was  then  giving 
to  English  Protestantism,  have  now  become  common. 
Before  their  departure  the  missionaries  preached 
daily  to  vast  crowds  in  the  Tabernacle,  in  Totten- 
ham Court  Chapel,  and  in  the  open  air  on  Tower 
Hill.  The  religious  community  of  the  metropolis 
was  stirred  by  the  occasion,  and  it  was  not  inaptly 
called  " The  Methodist  Jubilee"  An  embarkation 
hymn,  written  by  Shirley,  was  printed  for  the  cere- 
mony.* Immense  throngs  crowded  the  river's  side, 
and  when  the  ship  started  a  solemn  and  affecting 
scene  was  presented.  Every  countenance  was  suf- 
fused with  tears ;  hats  and  handkerchiefs  were  to  be 
seen  waving  in  all  directions,  "bidding  these  serv- 
ants of  God  farewell;  and  prayers  and  wishes 
ascended  as  a  cloud  of  incense  to  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church,  recommending  them  to  his  merciful 
protection  and  care.  Such  a  spirit  of  prayer  and 
supplication  was  poured  out  upon  the  people  of  God 

*  This  poem  was  reproduced  in  the  Evangelical  Magazine,  1196, 
when  the  missionary  ship  Duff  left  England  for  the  South  Seas  It 
begins,  "  Go,  destined  vessel,  heavily  freighted,  go !  " 


168  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

at  this  interesting  period  as  has  seldom  been  remem- 
bered. Every  heart  was  affected;  and  the  impres- 
sions then  made  were  attended  with  the  most  bene- 
ficial results." 

In  six  weeks  the  missionary  band  arrived  at 
Savannah,  and  were  received  at  Whitefield's  Or- 
phan House,  from  which  they  soon  went  forth  in 
all  directions,  preaching  the  "everlasting  Gospel" 
with  "signs  following."  They  did  extensive  and 
profitable  work,  traveling  about -the  country  and 
laboring  with  all  denominations.  "Their  labors 
were  crowned  with  singular  success,  and  many  by 
their  ministry  received  the  light  of  the  Gospel." 
They  devoted  themselves  especially  to  the  salvation 
of  the  African  population.  They  strengthened  the 
feeble  and  incipient  Churches  on  the  southern  front- 
iers of  the  country,  and  "  aroused  the  dormant  zeal 
of  many  to  send  the  Gospel  to  their  heathen  neigh- 
bors," the  aborigines. 

During  several  years  did  these  laborious  mission- 
aries prosecute  their  good  work.  The  provincial 
government  took  an  interest  in  their  plans,  and 
offered  to  build  a  church  in  Savannah,  and  present 
it  to  the  countess.  "The  invitations,"  she  wrote, 
"  which  I  have  for  our  ministry,  in  various  parts  of 
America,  are  so  kind  and  affectionate  that  it  looks  as 
if  we  were  to  have  our  way  free  through  the  whole 
continent ; "  "  in  all  the  back  settlements  we  are 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  169 

assured  that  the  people  will  build  us  chapels  at 
their  own  expense."  She  organized  a  plan,  which 
was  encouraged  by  Lord  Dartmouth,  for  a  large 
grant  of  lands  from  the  government  for  the  endow- 
ment of  extensive  missions ;  and  ministerial  rein- 
forcements were  to  be  supplied  from  Trevecca,  to 
meet  the  wants  of  the  spiritually  destitute  regions 
of  the  country. 

The  prospect  was  that  Calvinistic  Methodism 
would  thus  spread  out  over  the  southern  portion 
of  the  colonies,  and  soon  meet  Arminian  Method- 
ism, which  was  now  on  its  southward  march.  But 
it  was  otherwise  designed  in  the  counsels  of  Divine 
Providence.  Methodism  was  to  extend  its  sway 
over  all  those  regions,  but  not  with  a  divided  inter- 
est. The  revolutionary  war  was  looming  not  far  in 
the  distance,  and  the  New  "World  was  to  have  its 
own  Methodism  as  well  as  its  own  government. 
The  Orphan  House  was  destroyed  by  fire.  After 
eight  years  of  service  the  missionaries,  following  the 
example  of  most  of  the  regular  English  clergy  of  the 
colonies,  escaped  to  England  in  the  British  convoy 
at  the  reduction  of  Charleston.  The  property  of  the 
countess  was  finally  appropriated  by  the  Americans, 
and  the  southern  field  was  left  unoccupied  and  open 
for  the  American  Arminian  Methodists,  who  soon 
after  bore  the  cross  triumphantly  through  its  length 
and  breadth. 


170  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

The  countess  endeavored,  during  and  after  the 
war,  to  recover  her  important  estates  in  Georgia  for 
missionary  purposes;  she  corresponded  with  Wash- 
ington respecting  them ;  Franklin  accepted  an  ap- 
pointment as  one  of  her  trustees ;  Laurens,  President 
of  Congress,  imprisoned  for  some  months  in  the 
Tower  of  London,  became  her  friend  and  adviser, 
and  his  sons  undertook,  on  their  return  to  America, 
to  adjust  her  claims  there,  but  without  success. 

In  the  year  of  Wesley's  death  (1791)  the  Countess 
of  Huntingdon,  burdened  with  eighty-four  years, 
closed  the  most  remarkable  career  which  is  recorded 
of  her  sex,  in  the  modern  Church,  by  a  death  which 
was  crowned  with  the  serenity  and  hope  that  befitted 
a  life  so  devout  and  beneficent.  Through  a  linger- 
ing and  painful  illness  she  gave  utterance  to  senti- 
ments, not  merely  of  resignation,  but  of  rapture. 
"When  a  blood-vessel  broke,  the  presage  of  her  de- 
parture, she  said :  "  I  am  well ;  all  is  well — well  for 
ever.  I  see,  wherever  I  turn  my  eyes,  whether  I 
live  or  die,  nothing  but  victory.  The  coming  of  the 
Lord  draweth  nigh,  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth 
nigh !  The  thought  fills  my  soul  with  joy  unspeak- 
able, my  soul  is  filled  with  glory;  I  am  as  in  the 
element  of  heaven  itself.  I  am  encircled  in  the 
arms  of  love  and  mercy;  I  long  to  be  at  home; 
O,  I  long  to  be  at  home ! "  A  little  before  she  died 
she  said  repeatedly,  "  I  shall  go  to  my  Father  this 


THE  COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON".  171 

night ; "  and  shortly  after,  "  Can  he  forget  to  be 
gracious  ?  Is  there  any  end  of  his  loving-kindness  ? " 
Almost  her  last  words  were,  "My  work  is  done ;  1 
have  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  to  my  father"  She  left 
twenty  thousand  dollars  for  charities,  and  the  residue 
of  her  fortune  for  the  support  of  sixty-four  chapels 
which  she  had  helped  to  build  in  various  parts  of  the 
kingdom.  No  woman,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of  the 
Church,  certainly  none  of  modern  times,  has  done 
more  by  direct  labors  and  liberality  for  the  promo- 
tion of  genuine  religion. 

Her  character  has  received  the  best  possible  deline- 
ation by  the  record  of  her  works  in  the  preceding 
pages.  She  was  profoundly  devout,  as  her  life  and 
death  attested.  A  German  historian  of  Methodism, 
who  personally  knew  her,  says  that  "  conversing  with 
her  you  forgot  the  earldom  in  her  exhibition  of  hum- 
ble, loving  piety."  She  was  somewhat  pertinacious 
of  her  opinions ;  financially  she  was  liberal  to  excess, 
as  shown  by  her  benefactions,  amounting  to  half  a 
million  of  dollars,  and  by  the  embarrassments  which 
she  often  suffered  from  her  contributions  to  the  poor. 
The  power  with  which  she  swayed  so  many  able 
men  through  so  many  years,  is  the  more  remarkable 
for  not  having  been  the  result  of  any  official  or 
ecclesiastical  prerogative.  She  resembled  Wesley 
in  the  tenacity  and  steadiness  with  which  she 
prosecuted  her  long  and  great  work  ;  and  perhaps 


172  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

her  sex  alone  deprived  her  of  equal  success   and 
eminence. 

Writers  who  are  not  Methodists  admit,  as  we  have 
seen,  that  Methodism  saved  the  Nonconformity  01 
England ;  Whitefield  and  the  Countess  of  Hunting- 
don were  its  chief  representatives  and  promoters 
among  the  Nonconformists.  The  whole  evangelical 
Dissent  of  England  feels  their  power  to-day.  Wales 
is  inscribed  all  over  with  the  signatures  of  their  use 
fulness.  Jones,  Harris,  and  .Rowlands  had  begun  its 
evangelical  regeneration,  but  their  labors  were  dis- 
connected, and  without  definite  scope.  Whitefield 
and  the  Countess's  Calvinism  gave  them  power  in 
the  Principality ;  they  brought  the  three  Welsh 
evangelists  into  co-operation  with  each  other,  and 
into  communion  with  Methodism,  and  thence,  in 
connection  with  Wesleyan  Methodism,  has  arisen 
that  extraordinary  religious  progress  by  which  the 
thirty  Dissenting  Churches  of  1715  have  increased 
to  twenty-three  hundred ;  by  which  a  chapel  now 
dots  nearly  every  three  square  miles  of  the  country, 
and  over  a  million  people,  nearly  the  whole  Welsh 
population,  are  found  attending  public  worship  some 
part  of  every  Sabbath. 

The  Calvinistic  Methodists,  who  had  generally 
recognized  in  Lady  Huntingdon's  patronage  and 
superintendence  a  bond  of  unity,  were  resolved  at 
last  into  three  sects:  The  first  was  known  as  Lady 


THE   COUNTESS  OF  HUNTINGDON.  173 

Huntingdon's  Connection ;  it  observed  strictly  the 
liturgical  forms  of  the  English  Church,  and  its 
ministry  ceased  to  itinerate ;  it  possesses  in  our  day 
about  sixty  chapels ;  Cheshunt  College,  in  Hertford- 
shire, belongs  to  it,  and  was  substituted  for  Trevecca, 
when  the  lease  of  the  latter  expired.  The  second 
was  called  the  Tabernacle  Connection,  or  Whitefield 
Methodists.  Some  of  its  Churches  used  the  national 
Liturgy,  but  many  adopted  the  forms  of  the  Congre- 
gational Independents,  and  most  of  them  have  been 
absorbed  by  the  latter  denomination.  The  third  is 
known  as  the  Welsh  Calvinistic  Methodists;  it  has 
continued  to  prosper  down  to  our  day.  Its  chapels 
are  found  in  almost  every  village  in  Wales,  and  are 
alone  equal  to  more  than  two  thirds  the  number  be- 
longing to  the  Establishment.  In  1785  it  was  more 
thoroughly  organized  by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Charles, 
whose  legislative  genius  has  thus  perpetuated  in 
effective  vigor  the  usefulness  of  Griffith  Jones, 
Howell  Harris,  Daniel  Rowlands,  and  their  Cal- 
vinistic Methodist  coadjutors.  According  to  the 
official  statistics  of  the  British  Government  respect- 
ing Wales,  for  1857,  there  were  in  the  Principality, 
Calvinistic  Methodists,  52,670  communicants,  462 
preachers,  and  794:  churches;  Wesleyan  Method- 
ists, 19,014  communicants,  424  preachers,  and  400 
churches. 


PART   III. 
BAKBARA  HECK  AND  AMERICAN  METHODISM. 


CHAPTEK  I. 

BARBARA  HECK,  FOUNDRESS  OF  AMERICAlf  METHODISM. 

Her  Position  in  American  Ecclesiastical  History  —  Story  of  the  Irish 
Palatines  —  Early  Life  of  Barbara  Heck  —  Yoyage  to  America  — 
Philip  Embury  —  The  Falling  Away  and  Restoration  of  the  Pala- 
tines in  New  York — Barbara  Heck's  Agency  in  the  Initiation  of 
American  Methodism  —  Names  of  the  First  Congregation  in  New 
York  — Captain  Webb  — The  Rigging  Loft  — The  First  Chapel  and 
its  Parsonage  —  Spread  of  Methodism  through  the  Country  —  Re- 
tirement of  the  Palatines  to  Northern  New  York  —  Death  of 
Embury  —  The  Emburys  and  Hecks  go  to  Lower  Canada  —  To 
Upper  Canada  —  They  Found  Methodism  at  Augusta  —  William 
Losee,  First  Itinerant  in  Canada  —  Death  of  Paul  Heck  —  Death  of 
Barbara  Heck  —  Descendants  of  the  Emburys  and  Hecks  —  The 
Old  Blue  Church  Graveyard  —  The  Heck  Homesteads  —  Results. 

THE  progress  of  Methodism  in  the  United  States 
has  now  indisputably  placed  the  humble  name  of 
Barbara  Heck  first  on  the  list  of  women  in  the 
ecclesiastical  history  of  the  New  World.  So  few, 
however,  are  the  remaining  traditions  of  her  personal 
history,  that  it  is  impossible  to  construct  from  them 
any  adequate  or  satisfactory  sketch  of  her  life  and 


176  WOMEN  OF.  METHODISM. 

character.  The  foundress  of  Methodism  in  all  these 
lands,  including  Canada,  she  nevertheless  appears 
amid  the  early  startling  events  and  ever-enlarging 
results  of  its  history,  like  a  star,  apart  from  its  sur- 
rounding orbs,  occupying  but  the  smallest  point  of 
space,  yet  shedding  its  streaming  light  over  the 
whole  hemisphere.  Gems,  says  the  proverb,  are 
always  small ;  and  the  magnitude  of  her  record  must 
chiefly  consist  of  the  "  setting  "  of  her  precious  name, 
made  from  tbe  history  of  the  great  cause  with  which 
her  memory  is  forever  identified,  more  than  from  the 
history  of  her  own  life. 

The  story  of  the  "  Irish  Palatines  "  and  their  con- 
nection with  American  Methodism  has  often  been 
told,  but  it  will  still  bear  often  to  be  told.  It  can 
never  grow  old;  it  will  only  gain  new  significance 
and  deepening  interest  with  the  lapse  of  time,  and 
will  become  more  and  more  a  household  tradition  in 
Methodist  families  as  the  denomination  extends 
among  the  nations  and  down  the  coming  ages.  Its 
brief  reproduction  here  is  the  necessary  introduction 
of  Barbara  Heck  to  her  honored  position  in  the 
history  of  Methodism. 

John  Wesley  passed  through  the  County  of  Lim- 
erick, Ireland,  in  1758,  preaching  night  and  day. 
He  records  in  his  Journal  that  he  met  there  an  ex- 
traordinary community,  settled  in  Court  Mattress, 
and  in  Killiheen,  Balligarrane,  and  Pallas,  villages 


BA1UJA11A  HECK.  177 

within  four  miles  of  Court  Mattress.  They  were  not 
native  Celts,  but  a  Teutonic  population.  Having 
been  nearly  half  a  century  without  pastors  who 
could  speak  their  language,  they  had  become  thor- 
oughly demoralized :  noted  for  drunkenness,  pro- 
fanity, and  "utter  neglect  of  religion."  But  the 
Methodist  itinerants  had  penetrated  to  their  hamlets, 
and  they  were  now  a  reformed,  a  devout  people. 
They  had  erected  a  large  chapel  in  the  center  of 
Court  Mattress.  "  So  did  God  at  last  provide," 
writes  Wesley,  "for  these  poor  strangers  who,  for 
fifty  years,  had  none  who  cared  for  their  souls."  At 
later  visits  he  declares  that  three  such  towns  as  Court 
Mattress,  Killiheen,  and  Balligarrane  were  hardly  to 
be  found  anywhere  else  in  Ireland  or  England. 
There  was  "no  cursing  or  swearing,  no  Sabbath 
breaking,  no  drunkenness,  no  ale-house  in  any  of 
them."  "They  had  become  a  serious,  thinking 
people,  and  their  diligence  had  turned  all  their  land 
into  a  garden.  How  will  these  poor  foreigners  rise  up 
in  the  day  of  judgment  against  those  that  are  round 
about  them."  But  the  most  interesting  fact  respect- 
ing this  obscure  colony  was  not  yet  apprehended  by 
Wesley,  or  he  would  have  wondered  still  more  at 
their  providential  history.  The  Methodism  of  the 
New  World  was  already  germinating  among  them ; 
in  about  two  years  the  prolific  seed  was  to  be  trans- 
planted to  the  distant  continent,  and  at  the  time  of 

12 


178  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

Wesley's  death  (about  thirty  years  later)  its  vigorous 
boughs  were  to  extend  over  the  land  from  Canada  to 
Georgia,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi,  shel- 
tering more  than  sixty-three  thousand  Church  mem- 
bers, and  two  hundred  and  fifty  itinerant  preachers. 
In  about  thirty  years  after  "Wesley's  death  (1820) 
American  Methodism  was  to  advance  to  the  front  of 
the  great  "  movement,"  with  a  majority  of  more  than 
seventeen  thousand  over  the  parent  Church,  includ- 
ing all  its  foreign  dependencies,  and  thenceforward 
the  chief  numerical  triumphs  of  the  denomination 
were  to  be  in  the  western  hemisphere. 

But  how  came  this  singular  people,  speaking  a 
foreign  tongue,  into  the  west  of  Ireland  ?  The 
troops  of  Louis  XIY.,  under  Turenne,  devastated, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
Palatinate,  on  the  Rhine.  Its  population  was  almost 
entirely  Protestant ;  the  strongest  reason  for  the 
relentless  violence  of  the  bigoted  monarch  and  his 
army.  The  whole  country  was  laid  waste ;  the 
Elector  Palatine  could  see  from  the  towers  of  Man- 
heim,  his  capital,  no  less  than  two  cities  and  twenty- 
five  villages  on  fire  at  once.  The  peaceable  peasants 
fled  before  the  invaders  by  thousands  to  the  lines  of 
the  English  general,  Marlborough.  Queen  Anne  sent 
ships  to  convey  them  from  Rotterdam  to  England. 
More  than  six  thousand  arrived  in  London,  reduced 
to  dependent  poverty.  The  sympathy  of  Protestant 


BAKBARA  HECK.  179 

England  relieved  their  sufferings,  and  commissioners 
were  appointed  by  the  government  to  provide  for 
them.  They  were  encamped  and  fed  on  Blackheath 
and  Camberwell  Commons.  Popish  rule  and  perse- 
cution followed  the  invasion  of  the  Palatinate,  and 
thousands  more  of  its  virtuous  and  thrifty  peasants 
deserted  it  for  refuge  in  England  and  other  countries. 
Nearly  three  thousand  were  sent  by  the  British  gov- 
ernment to  America  in  1710,  and  became  valuable 
additions  to  the  colonies  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
and  North  Carolina.  Of  those  who  remained  in 
England  about  fifty  families  emigrated  to  Ireland, 
where  they  settled,  near  Rathkeale,  in  the  county  of 
Limerick.  They  were  allowed  eight  acres  for  each 
person,  young  and  old,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  a 
small  annual  rent  to  the  proprietor,  Lord  Southwell. 
The  government  paid  their  rents  for  twenty  years, 
made  them  freeholders,  and  furnished  each  man  with 
a  musket,  enrolling  him  in  the  free  yeomanry  of  the 
county  as  "  German  Fusileers."  A  list  of  those  who 
"settled  contiguous  to  each  other  on  Lord  South- 
well's estates"  has  been  published;  on  it  are  the 
names  of  Embury,  Heck,  Ruckle,  Sweitzer,  Guier>  and 
others  associated  with  the  original  Methodists  of  New 
York.  An  Irish  historian  represents  them  as  indus- 
trious, "  better  fed  and  clothed  than  the  generality  of 
Irish  peasants. ..  .  .  Their  houses  are  remarkably 
clean,  to  which  they  have  a  stable,  cow-houses,  a 


180  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

lodge  for  their  plow,  and  neat  kitchen  gardens.  The 
women  are  very  industrious.  In  short,  the  Palatines 
have  benefited  the  country  by  increasing  tillage,  and 
are  a  laborious,  independent  people,  who  are  mostly 
employed  on  their  own  small  farms."  Such  was  the 
origin  of  the  "Irish  Palatines,"  and  thus  did  the 
Bhort-sighted  policy  of  Louis  XIY.  scatter  these  ster- 
ling Protestants  of  the  Khine  to  bless  other  lauds,  as 
his  bigoted  folly,  in  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  sent  half  a  million  of  his  own  best  subjects 
to  enrich,  by  their  skill  and  virtues,  Switzerland, 
Germany,  England,  and  the  North  American  col- 
onies. His  attempt  to  suppress  Protestantism  in  the 
Palatinate  led,  through  the  emigration  of  these  Irish 
settlers,  to  one  of  the  most  energetic  developments 
of  Protestantism  recorded  in  the  modern  history  of 
religion.* 

In  this  singular  community  was  born,  in  1734, 
Barbara  Ruckle,  at  a  place  called,  after  her  family, 
Ruckle  Hill,  in  Balligarrane.  She  was  strictly  edu- 
cated in  the  Methodist  faith,  which  had  so  thoroughly 
reformed  the  colony,  and  had  made  it  the  garden 
spot  of  the  county.  When  a  maiden  of  but  eighteen 
years  she  openly  took  upon  herself  the  vows  of  her 
faith,  joining  the  "  Society,"  and  professing  and  ex- 
emplifying a  regenerated  life,  little  supposing,  in  the 
humble  obscurity  of  herself  and  her  people,  that  her 

*  See  History  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  vol.  i,  48. 


BAEBAEA  HECK.  181 

youthful  fidelity  was  to  be  rewarded  by  pre-eminent 
usefulness  and  distinction  in  the  religious  history  of 
the  distant  New  World.  From  the  beginning  of  her 
Christian  life  her  piety  was  of  the  purest  and  pro- 
foundest  character.  The  Wesleyan  doctrine  of  the 
Witness  of  the  Spirit  was  the  inward  personal  test  of 
piety  among  the  Methodists  of  that  day ;  it  was  the 
daily  criterion  of  the  spiritual  life  of  Barbara  Heck, 
and  when,  in  extreme  age,  she  was  about  to  close  her 
life-pilgrimage,  in  the  remote  wilds  of  Canada,  after 
assisting  in  the  foundation  of  her  Church  in  that 
province,  as  well  as  in  the  United  States,  she  could 
say  to  the  growing  circles  of  Methodists  around  her, 
that  she  had  never  lost  the  evidence  of  her  accept- 
ance with  God,  for  twenty-four  hours  together,  from 
the  day  of  her  conversion.  She  was  of  a  thoughtful 
and  serious  habit  of  mind,  calm,  self-recollected, 
quietly  resolute.  She  had,  through  her  entire  Chris- 
tian life,  intervals  of  sadness  and  of  severe  mental 
conflict ;  and  there  are  traditions  among  her  descend- 
ants which  show  that  these  trials  were  not  tmlike 
those  of  the  great  Reformer  when  enduring  the  "  hour 
and  power  of  darkness  "  in  the  castle  of  Wartburgh. 
Her  German  Bible,  her  familiar  companion  to  the 
end  of  her  days,  was  her  consolation  in  these  ordeals, 
and  prayer  her  habitual  resource ;  it  was  her  rule 
always  to  persist  in  the  latter  till  she  prevailed. 
Thus  marked  by  strong  natural  character  and  un- 


182  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

common  piety,  she  was  early  recognized  among  her 
Palatine  associates  as  a  religious  guide  and  counselor 
of  her  sex — "  a  mother  in  Israel,"  before  she  attained 
middle  age.  In  1760,  when  about  twenty-six  years 
old,  she  was  married  to  Paul  Heck,  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Teutonic  community,  and  in  the  same 
year  they  departed,  with  a  company  of  their  neigh- 
bors, for  the  New  World.  God  was  leading  her  on 
her  unknown  but  momentous  mission.  An  Irish 
writer,  familiar  with  the  local  history  of  the  "  Pala- 
tines," has  described  the  scene  of  the  embarkation. 
"  On  a  spring  morning  of  1760,"  he  says,  "  a  group 
of  emigrants  might  have  been  seen  at  the  custom- 
house quay,  Limerick,  preparing  to  embark  for 
America.  At  that  time  emigration  was  not  so 
common  an  occurrence  as  it  is  now,  and  the  excite- 
ment connected  with  their  departure  was  intense. 
They  were  Palatines  from  Balligarrane,  and  were 
accompanied  to  the  vessel's  side  by  crowds  of  their 
companions  and  friends,  some  of  whom  had  come 
sixteen  miles  to  say  '  farewell '  for  the  last  time. 
One  of  those  about  to  leave — a  young  man,  with 
a  thoughtful  look  and  resolute  bearing — as  evidently 
the  leader  of  the  party,  and  more  than  an  ordin- 
ary pang  is  felt  by  many  as  they  bid  him  farewell. 
He  had  been  one  of  the  first-fruits  of  his  country- 
men to  Christ,  the  leader  of  the  infant  Church, 
and  in  their  humble  chapel  had  often  ministered  to 


BARBARA  HECK.  183 

them  the  word  of  life.  He  is  surrounded  by  his 
spiritual  children  and  friends,  who  are  anxious  to 
have  some  parting  words  of  counsel  and  instruction. 
He  enters  the  vessel,  and  from  its  side  once  more 
breaks  among  them  the  bread  of  life.  And  now  the 
last  prayer  is  offered;  they  embrace  each  other;  the 
vessel  begins  to  move.  As  she  recedes  uplifted  hands 
and  uplifted  hearts  attest  what  all  felt.  But  none 
of  all  that  vast  multitude  felt  more,  probably,  than 
that  young  man.  His  name  is  Philip  Embury.  His 
party  consisted  of  his  wife,  Mary  Sweitzer,  to  whom 
he  had  been  married  on  the  27th  of  November,  1758, 
in  Rathkeale  Church ;  two  of  his  brothers  and  their 
families ;  Peter  Sweitzer,  probably  a  brother  of  his 
wife ;  Paul  Heck  and  Barbara  his  wife ;  Yaler  Tett- 
ler ;  Philip  Morgan,  and  a  family  of  the  Dulmages. 
The  vessel  arrived  safely  in  New  York  on  the  10th 
of  August,  1760.  Who  that  pictures  before  his  mind 
that  first  band  of  Christian  emigrants  leaving  the 
Irish  shore  but  must  be  struck  with  the  simple 
beauty  of  the  scene?  Yet  who  among  the  crowd 
that  saw  them  leave  could  have  thought  that  two 
of  the  little  band  were  destined,  in  the  mysterious 
providence  of  God,  to  influence  for  good  countless 
myriads,  and  that  their  names  should  live  long  as 
the  sun  and  moon  endure?  Yet  so  it  was.  That 
vessel  contained  Philip  Embury,  the  first  Class-leader 
and  local  preacher  of  Methodism  on  the  American 


184  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

continent,  and  Barbara  Heck,  'a  mother  in  Israel,' 
one  of  its  first  members,  the  germ  from  which,  in 
the  good  providence  of  God,  has  sprung  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  States ;  a  Church 
which  has  now,  more  or  less  under  its  influence, 
about  seven  millions  of  the  germinant  mind  of  that 
new  and  teeming  hemisphere !  '  There  shall  be  a 
handful  of  corn  in  the  earth  upon  the  top  of  the 
mountains ;  the  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like  Leba- 
non :  and  they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass  of 
the  earth.' " 

Philip  Embury  justly  ranks  as  founder  of  Ameri- 
can Methodism,  but  Barbara  Heck  may  even  take 
precedence  of  him  as  its  foundress.  Embury,  though 
a  local  preacher,  as  well  as  a  class-leader,  in  Ireland, 
seems  to  have  quickly  lost  his  zeal,  or  to  have  be- 
come discouraged,  in  the  new  country ;  a  diffident 
man,  he  shrank  from  responsibility,  and  needed  a 
prompter.  On  his  arrival  some  of  his  companions 
were  dispersed,  and  others  fell  from  their  steadfast- 
ness in  the  temptations  of  their  novel  condition. 
Not  only  months  but  some  years  passed  without  an 
earnest  effort  to  save  them,  or  to  reorganize  them 
in  the  disciplinary  forms  of  their  old  Irish  home. 
Barbara  Heck  maintained,  during  all  this  interval, 
her  religious  life,  her  daily  internal  evidence  of 
acceptance  with  God,  clinging  to  her  old  German 
Bible.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  she  often 


BARBARA  HECK.  185 

remonstrated  with  Embury  and  the  other  Palatine 
exiles  about  their  religious  negligence  and  indiffer- 
ence ;  but  they  were  few,  obscure,  without  a  place 
of  worship,  and  without  means  to  provide  one,  and 
she  was  a  modest  though  earnest  woman.  Some 
more  urgent  provocation  was  necessary  that  might 
justify  her  more  energetic  interference.  This  at 
last  occurred  in  1766.  Dr.  Roberts  has  recorded 
the  authentic  facts  of  the  case :  "  The  families  who 
accompanied  Embury,"  he  says,  "  were  not  all  "Wes- 
leyans  —  only  a  few  of  them;  the  remainder  were 
members  of  the  Protestant  Church  in  Ireland,  but 
made  no  profession  of  an  experimental  knowledge  of 
God,  in  the  pardon  of  sin  and  adoption.  After  their 
arrival  in  New  York,  with  the  exception  of  Embury 
and  three  or  four  others,  they  all  finally  lost  their 
sense  of  the  fear  of  God,  and  became  open  world- 
lings. Some  subsequently  fell  into  greater  depths  of 
sin  than  others.  Late  in  the  year  1765  another  ves- 
sel arrived  in  New  York,  bringing  over  Paul  Ruckle, 
Luke  Rose,  Jacob  Heck,  Peter  Barkman,  and  Henry 
Williams,  with  their  families.  These  were  Palatines, 
some  of  them  relatives  of  Embury,  and  others  his  for- 
mer friends  and  neighbors.  A  few  of  them  only  were 
Wesleyans.  Mrs.  Barbara  Heck,  who  had  been  re- 
siding in  New  York  since  1760,  visited  them  fre- 
quently. One  of  the  company,  Paul  Ruckle,  was 
her  eldest  brother.  It  was  when  visiting  them  on 


186  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

one  of  these  occasions  that  she  found  some  of  the 
party  engaged  in  a  game  of  cards ;  there  is  no  proof, 
either  direct  or  indirect,  that  any  of  them  were 
Wesleyans,  and  connected  with  Embury.  Her 
spirit  was  roused,  and,  doubtless  emboldened  by 
her  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  them  in 
Ireland,  she  seized  the  cards,  threw  them  into  the 
fire,  and  then  most  solemnly  warned  them  of  their 
danger  and  duty.  Leaving  them,  she  went  imme- 
diately to  the  dwelling  of  Embury,  who  was  her 
cousin.  It  was  located  upon  Barrack-street,  now 
Park  Place.  After  narrating  what  she  had  seen 
and  done,  under  the  influence  of  the  Divine  Spirit 
and  with  power  she  appealed  to  him  to  be  no  longer 
silent,  but  to  preach  the  word  forthwith.  She  par- 
ried his  excuses,  and  urged  him  to  commence  at  once 
in  his  own  house,  and  to  his  own  people.  He  con- 
sented, and  she  went  out  and  collected  four  persons, 
who  constituted  his  audience..  After  singing  and 
prayer  he  preached  to  them,  and  enrolled  them  in 
a  class.  He  continued  thereafter  to  meet  them 
weekly.  Embury  was  not  among  the  card-players, 
nor  in  the  same  house  with  them." 

The  names  of  this  first  of  the  congregations  of 
American  Methodism  have  never,  I  believe,  been 
reported  in  any  of  our  denominational  books;  but 
they  have  been  ascertained  and  may  well  be  record- 
ed, for  the  little  group  prefigured  the  future  mission 


BARBARA  HECK.  187 

of  Methodism  in  its  widespread  assemblies  through- 
out the  New  World,  as  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the 
poor.  Small  as  it  was,  it  included  black  and  white, 
bond  and  free ;  while  it  was  also  an  example  of  that 
lay  ministration  of  religion  which  has  extended  the 
denomination  in  all  quarters  of  the  world,  and  of 
that  agency  of  woman,  which,  as  we  have  seen, 
Wesley  organized,  and  to  which  an  inestimable  pro- 
portion of  the  vitality  and  power  of  the  Church  is 
attributable.  The  name  of  Barbara  Heck  is  first  on 
the  list;  with  her  was  her  husband,  Paul  Heck; 
beside  him  sat  John  Lawrence,  his  "  hired  man ;" 
and  by  her  side  an  African  servant  called  "  Betty." 
Such,  let  it  ever  be  remembered,  was  the  germ  and 
type  of  the  congregations  of  Methodism  which  now 
Btud  the  continent  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific, 
from  the  Mexican  Gulf  almost  to  the  perpetual 
snows  of  the  north ;  they  could  hardly  have  had  a 
more  fitting  prototype. 

The  subsequent  growth  of  this  obscure  germ,  until 
it  "shakes  like  Lebanon"  over  all  the  land,  has 
been  the  subject  of  too  exciting  a  story  not  to  have 
become  familiar  to  us  all,  if  not  to  all  the  religious 
world.  History  records  how  the  little  company  soon 
grew  too  large  for  Embury's  house ;  how  they  hired 
a  more  commodious  room,  which  was  immediately 
crowded;  how,  in  a  few  months,  there  were  two 
"classes"  meeting  regularly,  one  of  men,  the  other 


188  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

of  women,  comprising  six  or  seven  members  each; 
that  no  little  excitement  began  quickly  to  prevail  in  the 
city  on  account  of  these  meetings,  calling  out  Embury 
to  preach  elsewhere,  for  the  lower  classes  of  the  people 
received  the  word  gladly ;  that  in  1767  the  humble 
assembly  was  startled,  if  not  alarmed,  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  military  officer  in  regimentals  among  them, 
but  who  turned  out  to  be  the  good  and  brave  Cap- 
tain Webb,  one  of  Wesley's  local  preachers,  who 
afterward  took  his  stand  at  Embury's  preaching-desk, 
or  table,  with  his  sword  on  it  by  the  side  of  the  open 
Bible,  and  preached  three  times  a  week  in  a  manner 
that  soon  roused  the  whole  city,  and  who  thencefor- 
ward, for  nearly  ten  years,  was  to  be  the  chief  founder 
of  Methodism  on  this  continent,  preaching  its  doc- 
trines in  New  York,  on  Long  Island,  through  New 
Jersey,  in  Philadelphia,  through  Delaware  and  Mary- 
land, and  in  Baltimore — "  The  old  soldier  .  .  .  one 
of  the  most  eloquent  men  I  ever  heard,"  said  Presi- 
dent John  Adams.  The  famous  Rigging  Loft,  on 
William-street,  relics  of  which  are  now  precious 
mementoes  throughout  the  Methodist  world,  was 
hired  in  1767  to  accommodate  the  increasing  throngs 
of  hearers ;  but  "  it  could  not,"  says  a  contemporary 
authority,  "  contain  half  the  people  who  desired 
to  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord."  Webb  saw  the 
necessity  of  a  chapel;  but  he  was  anticipated  in 
the  design  by  Barbara  Heck,  who  had  watched 


BARBAEA  HECK.  189 

devoutly  the  whole  progress  of  the  infant  society 
thus  far.  From  the  time  that,  "falling  prostrate" 
before  Embury,  and  "  entreating  him  with  tears 
to  preach  to  them,"  she  had  recalled  him  to  his 
duty  by  the  solemn  admonition,  "  God  will  require 
our  blood  at  your  hand,"  she  seems  to  have 
anticipated,  with  the  spirit  of  a  prophetess,  the 
great  possible  results  of  Methodism  in  the  New 
"World.  Seeing  the  growth  of  the  cause  and  the 
importance  of  a  permanent  temple,  "  she  had  made," 
she  said,  "the  enterprise  a  matter  of  prayer;  and 
looking  to  the  Lord  for  direction,  had  received  with 
inexpressible  sweetness  and  power  the  answer,  '  I  the 
Lord  will  do  it.' "  In  the  fervor  of  her  wishes  and 
prayers,  an  economical  plan  for  the  edifice  was 
devised  in  her  mind.  She  considered  it  a  suggestion 
from  God.  It  was  approved  by  the  society,  and  the 
first  structure  of  the  denomination  in  the  western 
hemisphere  was  a  monumental  image  of  the  humble 
thought  of  this  devoted  woman.  Webb  entered 
heartily  into  the  undertaking.  It  would  probably 
not  have  been  attempted  without  his  aid.  He  sub- 
scribed thirty  pounds  toward  it,  the  largest  sum  by 
one  third  given  by  any  one  person.  He  was  one  of 
its  original  trustees,  Embury  being  first  on  the  list  — 
first  trustee,  first  treasurer,  first  class-leader,  and  first 
preacher.  They  leased  the  site  on  John-street  in 
1768,  and  purchased  it  in  1770.  They  appealed  sue- 


190  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

cessfully  to  the  citizens  of  New  York  for  assistance, 
and  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  names  are  still 
preserved  on  the  subscription  paper,  including  all 
classes,  from  the  mayor  down  to  African  female 
servants,  known  only  by  their  Christian  names, 
besides  the  primitive  Methodists,  Lupton,  Sause, 
White,  Heck,  Jarvis,  Newton,  Sands,  Staples,  Brink- 
ley,  etc.  Paul  Heck  subscribed  £3  5s.  The  highest 
ranks  of  the  New  York  social  life  of  the  times  are 
honored  on  this  humble  memorial  —  the  Livingstons, 
Duanes,  Delanceys,  Laights,  Stuyvesants,  Lispenards, 
and  the  clergy  of  the  day,  Auchmuty,  Ogilvie,  Inglis, 
and  others. 

The  chapel  was  built  of  stone,  faced  with  blue 
plaster.  It  was  sixty  feet  in  length,  forty-two  in 
breadth.  Dissenters  were  not  yet  allowed  to  erect 
"regular  churches"  in  the  city;  the  new  building 
was  therefore  provided  with  "a  fireplace  and  chim- 
ney "  to  avoid  "  the  difficulty  of  the  law."  Though 
long  unfinished  in  its  interior,  it  was  "  very  neat  and 
clean,  and  the  floor  was  sprinkled  over  with  sand  as 
white  as  snow."  Embury,  being  a  skillful  carpenter, 
"wrought"  diligently  upon  the  structure;  and  Bar- 
bara Heck,  rejoicing  in  the  work  of  her  hands, 
helped  to  whitewash  its  walls.  Embury  constructed 
with  his  own  hands  its  pulpit ;  and  on  the  memora- 
ble 30th  of  October,  1768,  mounted  the  desk  he  had 
made,  and  dedicated  the  humble  temple  by  a  sermon 


BARBARA  HECK.  191 

on  Hosea  x,  12:  "Sow  to  yourselves  in  righteous- 
ness, reap  in  mercy;  break  up  your  fallow  ground, 
for  it  is  time  to  seek  the  Lord,  till  he  come  and  rain 
righteousness  upon  you."  The  house  was  soon 
thronged.  Within  two  years  from  its  consecration 
we  have  reports  of  at  least  a  thousand  hearers  crowd- 
ing it  and  the  area  in  its  front.  It  was  named  "Wes- 
ley Chapel,  and  was  the  first  in  the  world  that- bore 
that  title.  Seven  months  after  its  dedication  a  letter 
to  Wesley,  concerning  Embury  and  Webb,  said, 
"The  Lord  carries  on  a  very  great  work  by  these 
two  men."  The  city  at  this  time  contained  about 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  the  colonies  but  about 
three  millions.  Methodism  was  thenceforward  to 
grow  alike  with  the  growth  of  the  city  and  of  the 
continent. 

Embury  continued  to  minister  faithfully  in  this 
chapel  twice  or  thrice  a  week.  "There  were  at 
first  no  stairs  or  breastwork  to  the  galleries ;"  they 
were  ascended  by  a  rude  ladder.  "Even  the  seats 
on  the  lower  floor  had  no  backs."  The  "singing 
was  congregational;  some  one  set  the  tune,  the 
rest  joined  in,  and  they  made  melody  to  the  Lord." 
There  was  no  vestry  nor  class-room;  "the  classes 
met  in  private  houses."  A  parsonage,  adjacent  to 
the  chapel,  was  erected  in  1770 — a  small  house, 
furnished  chiefly  with  articles  given  or  lent  by  the 
people.  It  was  to  be  the  occasional  home  of  Board- 


192  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

man  and  Pilmoor,  of  Shadford  and  Ilankin,  of 
Asbury  and  Coke,  and  their  fellow-itinerants;- who, 
being  mostly  unmarried  men,  found  it  sufficiently 
convenient. 

The  success  of  Methodism  in  New  York,  and  its 
rapid  southward  spread,  excited  no  little  interest  in 
England,  and  Wesley  sent  over  his  first  American 
missionaries,  to  take  charge  of  the  new  Societies,  in 
the  autumn  of  1769.  They  were  hailed  with  delight 
by  the  Methodists  of  the  city ;  Embury  gladly  sur- 
rendered to  them  his  pulpit,  and  the  next  year 
removed  to  the  town  of  Salem,  Washington  county, 
New  York.  Thither  he  was  accompanied  by  Peter 
Sweitzer,  Abraham  Bininger,  (a  Moravian,  who  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Georgia  with  Wesley  in  1735,) 
and  Paul  and  Barbara  Heck.  Their  new  home  was 
remote,  in  the  wilderness,  but  they  forgot  not  their 
providential  mission;  they  began  again  their  good 
work  of  founding  Methodism.  Embury,  sustained 
by  his  faithful  friends,  labored  as  a  local  preacher, 
and  formed  a  society,  chiefly  of  his  old  associates, 
at  Ashgrove — the  first  Methodist  class  within  the 
bounds  of  the  Troy  Conference,  which  in  our  day 
reports  more  than  25,000  communicants,  and  more 
than  200  traveling  preachers.  He  was  held  in  high 
estimation  by  his  neighbors,  and  officiated  among 
them  not  only  as  a  preacher,  but  as  a  magistrate. 
While  mowing  in  his  field  in  1775  he  injured  him- 


BARBARA  HECK.  193 

self  so  severely  as  to  die  suddenly,  aged  but  forty-five 
years,  "greatly  beloved  and  much  lamented,"  says 
Asbury.  He  was  buried  on  the  neighboring  farm  of 
his  Palatine  friend,  Peter  Sweitzer.  After  reposing 
fifty-seven  years  in  his  solitary  grave  without  a 
memorial,  his  remains  were  disinterred  with  solemn 
ceremonies,  and  borne  by  a  large  procession  to  the 
Ashgrove  burial  ground,  where  their  resting-place  is 
marked  by  a  monument,  recording  that  he  "  was  the 
first  to  set  in  motion  a  train  of  measures  which 
resulted  in  the  founding  of  John-street  Church,  the 
cradle  of  American  Methodism,  and  the  introduction 
of  a  system  which  has  beautified  the  earth  with  sal- 
vation, and  increased  the  joys  of  heaven." 

John  Lawrence,  a  devoted  Methodist,  who  accom- 
panied Embury  from  Ireland,  married  his  widow, 
and  with  the  Hecks,  and  others  of  the  society  at 
Ashgrove,  left  the  United  States  at  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Revolutionary  war,  for  Lower  Canada,  where 
they  remained  (mostly  in  Montreal)  about  eleven 
years.  In  1785  they  again  journeyed  into  the  wil- 
derness and  settled  on  "  Lot  No.  4,  3d  Concession," 
of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Augusta,  in  Upper  Can- 
ada. Here  their  peculiar  work,  their  "  providential 
mission,"  as  I  have  ventured  to  call  it,  was  resumed. 
They  were  still  pioneers  and  founders  of  Methodism ; 
and  in  the  house  of  John  and  Catherine  Lawrence 

(the  widow  of   Embury)  was   organized    the  first 

18 


194  WOMEX   OF   METHODISM. 

"class"  of  Augusta,  and  Samuel  Embury,  the  son 
of  Philip,  was  its  first  leader;  Paul  and  Barbara 
Heck  were  among  its  first  members,  and  their  three 
sons  were  also  recorded  on  its  roll.  They  were  thus 
to  anticipate  and,  in  part,  prepare  the  way  for  the 
Methodist  itinerancy  in  Canada,  as  they  had  at  New 
York  city  and  in  Northern  New  York  ;  for  William 
Losee,  the  first  regular  Methodist  preacher  in  Canada, 
did  not  enter  the  province  till  1790.  The  germ  of 
Canadian  Methodism  was  planted  by  these  memora- 
ble families  five  or  six  years  before  Losee's  arrival.* 

In  entering  Canada  in  1790  Losee  probably  crossed 
the  St.  Lawrence  at  St.  Regis,  for  it  seems  that  he 
preached  in  Matilda,  Augusta,  and  Elizabethtown, 
and  then  passed  up  to  Kingston,  and  thence  to 
Adolphustown,  where  his  kindred  resided.  A  Meth- 
odist preacher  was  a  curiosity  in  those  days,  says  the 
historian  of  the  Church  in  Canada,f  and  all  were 
anxious  to  see  the  phenomenon.  "  Some  would  even 
ask  how  he  looked,  or  what  he  was  like.  A  peculiar- 
ity in  Losee,  too,  was  that  he  had  but  one  arm ;  and 
yet  with  one  hand  to  use,  he  could  readily  mount 
and  dismount  his  horse,  and  guide  him  over  the 
roughest  roads  and  most  dangerous  crossways.  He 
was  a  bold  horseman,  and  usually  rode  his  journeys 

0  I  correct  here  an  error  in  my  History  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  ii,  400. 
f  Playter's  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Canada." 


BARBARA  HECK.  195 

on  the  gallop.  Yet  he  was  a  man  of  very  solemn 
aspect,  with  straight  hair,  a  long  countenance,  and 
grave  voice.  His  talents  were  not  so  much  for  ser- 
monizing as  for  exhortation.  He,  and  the  preachers 
generally  of  that  day,  were  of  the  revival  class; 
laboring,  looking,  praying  for  immediate  results. 
His  private  rebukes  were  often  of  a  very  solemn 
character.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  preachers  then 
to  use  the  word  'smite'  in  their  prayers  and  sermons. 
So  Losee  would  often  cry,  '  Lord,  smite  them ! '  and 
sinners  would  often  be  smitten,  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
with  conviction  of  sin  and  terror  of  the  last  judg- 
ment. The  man,  his  manner,  and  his  style  of  preach- 
ing, caught  the  attention  of  the  settlers,  and  young 
and  old  filled  the  houses  where  he  preached.  Hav- 
ing preached  a  few  times,  he  spoke  of  leaving.  The 
people  were  now  anxious  for  a  missionary  to  reside 
among  them.  A  petition  was  circulated  and  extens- 
ively signed  in  the  midland  district,  praying  the  New 
York  Conference  for  a  missionary  to  labor  in  these 
new  townships."  Losee  received  it,  and  returned  to 
£he  United  States  the  same  winter. 

In  1791,  however,  Losee  was  on  his  way  back  as 
soon  as  the  ice  of  the  St.  Lawrence  was  firm  enough 
to  allow  him  to  cross  with  his  horse.  He  traversed 
the  wilds  of  New  York,  enduring  severe  hard- 
ships, and  passed  over  the  river  below  Lake  Ontario, 
to  Kingston,  and  in  February  was  rejoicing  again 


196  WOMEN    OF    METHODISM. 

among  his  friends  at  Adolphnstown.  He  was  yet 
young,  being  but  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  flamed  with  zeal  for  his  new  and  great  work,  and 
had  no  cares  but  those  of  his  office,  being  unmar- 
ried. Giving  himself  wholly  to  his  mission,  he 
immediately  formed  a  circuit,  making  "  appoint- 
ments" at  every  opening.  Great  effects  followed, 
and  Methodism  was  effectively  and  permanently 
established  in  the  province. 

Losee  did  not  return  to  his  conference  in  1T91 ;  he 
was  too  far  away,  and  too  busily  employed ;  but  his 
ministerial  brethren  remembered  him,  and  elected 
him  to  deacon's  orders,  though  his  ordination  must 
be  indefinitely  postponed.  His  new  circuit  is  re- 
corded in  the  Minutes  as  "Kingston,"  and,  oddly 
enough,  is  placed  under  the  presiding  eldership  of 
Jesse  Lee,  who  had  now  entered  New  England. 
Kingston,  in  Upper  Canada,  therefore  appears  on 
the  record  in  juxtaposition  with  Lynn,  on  the  sea- 
coast  of  Massachusetts.  Distance  was  a  small  affair 
in  the  itinerant  schemes  of  those  times.  Lee,  how- 
ever, never  reached  his  solitary  preacher  in  the  woods 
of  the  northwestern  frontier. 

The  Methodist  itinerancy  was  thus  initiated  in 
Canada.  Its  first  Methodist  chapel  was  erected  at 
Adolphustown,  in  1792.  The  subscription  paper  for 
this  edifice  is  still  extant.  It  bears  the  names  of 
Embury,  Bininger,  Roblin,  Huff,  Yandusen,  Steele, 


BAKBARA   HECK.  197 

Button,  [Ruckle,]  Ketcheson,  and  others,  memorable 
in  the  early  history  of  the  denomination.  In  the 
same  month  the  second  chapel  was  begun  in  Ernes- 
town,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  eastern  part  of 
the  circuit,  the  first  being  at  its  western  end.  Both 
structures  were  of  the  same  size,  thirty-six  feet  by 
thirty,  two  stories  high,  with  galleries.  Losee  re- 
turned to  the  conference  of  1792  bearing  cheering 
reports  of  his  great  field.  The  Minutes  record  a 
hundred  and  sixty-five  members  in  his  societies ;  his 
circuit  was  divided  into  two,  and  he  hastened  back 
with  Darius  Dunham  as  his  colleague.  Yast  results 
were  to  follow;  gigantic  laborers  to  appear  in  the 
opening  wilderness;  circuits  and  societies  to  keep 
pace  with  the  advancing  frontier,  and  to  reach  east- 
ward to  Quebec;  Indian  missions  to  arise;  Meth- 
odist chapels,  many  of  them  elegant  edifices,  to 
dot  the  country ;.  a  book  concern,  periodical  organs, 
a  university,  and  academies  to  be  provided,  and 
Methodism  to  become  numerically  the  predominant 
faith  of  the  people,  comprising  one  fourth  of  the 
population. 

Paul  Heck  died  at  Augusta,  in  the  peace  of  the 
Gospel,  in  1792,  aged  sixty-two  years.  "He  was," 
says  a  correspondent,*  "an  upright,  honest  man, 
whose  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond."  Barbara 
Heck  survived  him  about  twelve  years,  and  died  at 

*  Rev.  John  Carroll,  of  Canada,  to  the  author. 


198  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

the  residence  of  her  son,  Samuel  Heck,  in  "  front  of 
Augusta,"  in  1804,  aged  seventy  years.  Her  death 
was  befitting  her  life ;  her  old  German  Bible,  the 
guide  of  her  youth  in  Ireland,  her  resource  during 
the  falling  away  of  her  people  in  New  York,  her 
inseparable  companion  in  all  her  wanderings  in  the 
wildernesses  of  Northern  New  York  and  Canada, 
was  her  oracle  and  comfort  to  the  last!  She  was 
found  sitting  in  her  chair  dead,  with  the  well-used 
and  endeared  volume  open  on  her  lap.  And  thus 
passed  away  this  devoted,  obscure,  and  unpretentious 
woman,  who  so  faithfully,  yet  unconsciously,  laid 
the  foundations  of  one  of  the  grandest  ecclesiastical 
structures  of  modern  ages,  and  whose  name  will  last 
with  ever-increasing  brightness  as  "  long  as  the  sun 
and  moon  endure." 

The  Embury  and  Heck  families,  so  singularly 
joined  together  in  our  religious  history,  have  blended 
in  several  neighborhoods,  and  the  descendants  of  both 
families  are  now  widely  scattered  in  the  Churches 
of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada.  "  Mrs.  Hick,  wife  of 
the  late  Rev.  John  Hick,  Wesleyan  minister,  Mrs. 
M'Kenzie,  Mrs.  John  Torrance,  and  Mrs.  Lunn,  all 
grandchildren  of  Philip  Embury,  died  happy  in  God. 
They  have  left  numerous  descendants  in  Montreal 
and  through  Canada  highly  respected.  Philip  Em- 
bury's great-great-grandson,  John  Torrance,  Jr.,  Esq., 
now  fills  the  honorable  and  responsible  position  of 


BARBARA  HECK.  199 

treasurer  and  trustee  steward  of  three  of  our  large 
Wesleyan  churches  in  this  city."  * 

Paul  and  Barbara  Heck  had  five  children,  namely : 
"  Elizabeth,  born  in  New  York,  in  1765  ;  John,  born 
in  the  same  place,  in  1767;  Jacob,  born  there, 
1769 ;  Samuel,  in  Camden,  N.  Y.,  28th  July,  1771 ; 
and  Nancy,  at  the  same  place,  1772.  They  are  all 
now  dead :  Elizabeth  and  Nancy  died  in  Montreal ; 
Samuel  and  Jacob  in  Augusta;  and  John^ unmar- 
ried, in  Georgia,  TJ.  S.,  as  early  as  1805.  Jacob 
married  a  Miss  Shorts,  who,  with  himself,  rests  in 
the  country  graveyard  of  the  Old  Blue  Church,  where 
rest  also  Paul  and  ^rbara  Heck.  Samuel  married  a 
Miss  Wright ;  the  same  may  be  said  of  their  inter- 
ment. But  three  of  Jacob's  children  survive ;  six  of 
Samuel's  are  still  living.  His  son  Samuel  was  a 
probationer  in  the  Wesleyan  ministry  when  he  was 
called  to  his  reward ;  his  precious  dust  also  lies  in 
this  graveyard.  He  was  eminently  pious,  a  clear- 
headed theologian,  and  a  methodical  preacher  of 
some  promise.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
elder  Samuel  was  an  eminent  local  minister  for  more 
than  forty  years,  who,  by  his  consistency,  earned  the 
meed  of  universal  respect ;  and  from  none  more  than 
his  immediate  neighbors,  to  whom  he  preached  nearly 
every  second  Sabbath  during  the  whole  of  the  time 
indicated.  He  was  slow,  solemn,  weighty,  yet  genial 

*  Letter  of  John  Matthewson,  Montreal,  Christ.  Ad.,  Jan.  11,  1866. 


. 

200  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

and  very  bearable.  Jacob  was  one  of  tbe  best  read 
men  we  ever  had  tbe  bappiness  to  converse  with,  and 
one  whose  conversation  was  as  lively  and  playful  as 
it  was  instructive.  We  never  saw  a  finer  old  man. 
We  imagine  we  can  now  see  his  venerable  white 
head,  stooping  form,  and  sparkling  dark  eyes,  and 
also  hear  his  ringing,  hearty  laugh.  He  showed  his 
amiability  by  his  fondness  for  little  children,  who 
were  equally  fond  of  him.  The  ten  surviving  grand- 
children of  Paul  and  Barbara  Heck  are  pious,  and 
many  of  their  great  grandchildren  also.  For  the 
reasons  we  have  assigned,  this  graveyard  will  be  dear 
to  every  heart  with  which  Methodism  and  the  cause 
of  God  are  regarded  as  identical.  Canada  is  highly 
honored  in  having  the  guardianship  of  the  sacred 
dust  of  persons  who  were  instrumental  in  kindling 
that  fire  which  has  broken  forth  into  such  a  glorious 
conflagration  on  this  continent.  It  is,  however,  to 
the-  shame  of  Canadian  Methodists,  that  no  worthy 
memorial  has  been  erected  ere  this  to  the  honor  of 
Paul  and  Barbara  Heck."  * 

Every  trace  of  the  Embury  and  Heck  families, 
however  vague,  has  become  precious  to  American 
Methodists.  There  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
author  a  private  letter,  dated  in  1855,  from  Rev. 
William  Case,  one  of  the  chief  early  Methodist 
preachers  of  Canada,  from  which  I  extract  a  pas- 

*  Christian  G-uardian,  Canada. 


BARBARA   HECK.  201 

eage  which  affords  some  interesting  allusions  to 
them  as  well  as  to  other  historic  names  of  the  de- 
nomination :  "  During,  the  winter  just  passing  1 
have  enjoyed  the  unspeakable  pleasure  of  visiting 
the  scenes  of  our  early  labors,  yours  and  mine.  I 
passed  through  Hallowell,  Belleville,  Kingston, 
Elizabethtown,  Brockville,  Augusta,  Matilda,  and 
thence  to  Bytown,  (Ottawa  City;)  thence  to  Perth 
and  "Wolford,  on  the  Kideau ;  then  home  through  a 
portion  of  the  northern  new  settlements.  In  this 
route  I  found  some,  though  few,  of  our  former  relig- 
ious friends  now  living.  Arthur  Youmans,  Rufus 
Shorey,  Mrs.  M'Lean,  (formerly  widow  Coate,)  and 
William  Brown  are  yet  living,  at  the  ages  of  from 
eighty  to  ninety-one.  Youmans  (of  the  latter  age) 
was  one  of  the  members  of  the  first  class  formed  in 
Hallowell,  January,  1793,  by  Darius  Dunham.  A 
class  paper  of  the  same  class  was  written  by  Elijah 
Wolsey  in  1795.  But  the  parents  of  the  Johnsons, 
Congers,  Yan  Deusens,  Robins,  Germans,  Huffs, 
Emburys,  Dctlors,  Clarkes,  Parrots,  Maddens,  Ked- 
ders,  Colemans,  Hecks,  Coons,  Brouses,  Aults,  Dul- 
mages,  Laurences,  are  all  gone;  yet  they  live  in 
their  example  of  piety,  integrity,  hospitality,  and 
Christian  benevolence.  These  virtues  are  promi- 
nent to  a  great  extent  in  their  numerous  descend- 
ants. The  progeny  bears  a  striking  impress  of  their 
worthy  patriarchal  fathers.  You  will  remember  the 


202  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

names  of  Samuel  and  Jacob  Heck  of  Augusta,  and 
the  Emburys  of  Bay  of  Quinte  —  the  former  the 
sons  of  Paul  Heck  and  his  worthy  companion,  the 
parents  of  Methodism  in  the  city  of  New  York  and 
in  America.  The  parents  are  gone,  and  the  sons 
have  followed  them  in  the  way  of  holiness  to  glory ; 
but  a  numerous  train  of  grandchildren  are  pursuing 
the  Christian  course  '  their  fathers  trod ' —  intelligent, 
pious,  and  wealthy.  '•Blessed  are  the  meek :  for  they 
shall  inherit  the  earth?  A  few  years  since  I  visited 
John  Embury  and  his  worthy  companion.  He  was 
then  ninety-eight  years  old.  The  scenes  of  early 
Methodism  in  New  York  were  vivid  in  his  recol- 
lection, and  he  referred  to  them  as  readily  as  if 
they  had  recently  occurred.  He  said:  'My  uncle, 
Philip  Embury,  was  a  great  man  —  a  powerful 
preacher — a  very  powerful  preacher.  I  had  heard 
many  ministers  before,  but  nothing  reached  my  heart 
till  I  heard  my  Uncle  Philip  preach.  I  was  then 
about  sixteen.  The  Lord  has  since  been  my  trust 
and  portion.  I  am  now  ninety-eight.  Yes,  my 
Uncle  Philip  was  a  great  preacher.'  After  this 
interview  he  lived  about  a  year,  and  died  suddenly, 
as  he  rose  from  prayer  in  his  family,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-nine.  The  Emburys,  Detlors,  Millers,  Mad- 
dens, Sweitzers,  of  Bay  of  Quinte,  are  numerous  and 
pious,  and  some  of  them  ministers  of  the  Gospel, 
all  firmly  grounded  in  Methodism.  Their  Palatine 


BARBARA  HECK.  203 

origin  is  prominent  in  their  health,  integrity,  and 
industry." 

A  writer  in  the  "  Christian  Guardian,"  Canada, 
thus  speaks  of  the  Old  Blue  Church  graveyard, 
where  Barbara  Heck  and  many  of  her  historic  com- 
panions repose.  "  There  is  not  a  more  beautiful  part 
of  Canada  than  that  which  skirts  the  majestic  St. 
Lawrence,  from  Brockville  to  Prescott,  a  distance  of 
twelve  miles.  The  land  rises  gently  from  the  noble 
river,  is  in  the  highest  cultivation,  thoroughly  cleared 
of  the  primeval  forest,  ornamented  with  sightly 
fences,  stone  walls,  good  buildings,  fine  orchards, 
and  in  many  places  the  road  is  adorned  with  beauti- 
ful shade  trees — the  maple,  now  and  then  an  elm, 
the  pine',  arid  a  considerable  profusion  of  the  steeple- 
like  Lombardy  poplar.  About  midway  between  the 
thriving  and  sightly  town  of  Prescott  and  the  pictur- 
esque little  village  of  Maitland  is  situated  what  is 
called  '  The  Old  Blue  Church  Graveyard.'  This  is 
ground  which  was  probably  set  apart  for  what  was 
then  believed  to  be  the  Established  Church  of  the 
Province,  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  country; 
but,  though  part  of  a  'glebe  lot,'  and  claimed  by 
Episcopalians,  all  sections  of  community  bury  there 
as  a  matter  of  right.  This  ground  once  exhibited  a 
sizable  wooden  church,  the  remains  of  which  I  havie 
seen.  The  building  once  wore  a  coat  of  blue  paint 
— hence  its  name,  *  The  Blue  Church.'  It  was  de- 


204  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

molished  several  years  ago,  and  a  diminutive  church- 
like  building  erected  nearer  the  road,  out  of  the 
materials,  for  the  convenience  of  reading  the  burial 
service  at  funerals  —  that  is,  by  our  Episcopalian 
friends,  who  enjoy  the  exclusive  right  to  enter  it. 
The  original  forest  trees  which  covered  this  spot  of 
yore  were  cleared  away  by  the  hands  of  some  whose 
remains,  palsied  by  the  hand  of  death,  now  rest  amid 
the  roots  of  the  fallen  monarchs  of  the  woods ;  but 
the  second  growth  of  pines,  which  has  since  sprung 
up,  and  now  nearly  canopy  it  with  their  spreading 
branches,  tower  to  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet. 
It  is  a  lovely  spot.  Here  lie  buried,  not  'the  rude 
forefathers '  of  Augusta's  present  inhabitants  merely, 
but  many  men  of  mark  among  the  early  settlers, 
of  the  country,  particularly  many  early  Methodist 
worthies.  The  spot  is  especially  remarkable  as  con- 
taining all  that  was  mortal  of  several  of  the  "most 
distinguished  of  the  German  Irish  Methodists  or  Pal- 
atines, who  came  to  New  York  in  1760  and  follow- 
ing years,  where  they  constituted  the  first  Methodist 
Society.  Here  lie  the  remains  of  the  once  beautiful 
Catharine  Sweitzer,  married  at  the  early  age  of  six- 
teen to  Philip  Embury,  the  apostle  of  Methodism  in. 
the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  eve  of  his  embarka- 
tion for  America ;  also  those  of  the  much  respected 
John  Lawrence,  a  pious  young  man  who  left  Ire- 
land in  company  with  the  Emburys,  and  who 


BARBARA   HECK.  205 

married  Mrs.  Embury.  Here  also  lie  Paul  and 
Barbara  Heck,  who  were  among  the  more  promi- 
nent founders  of  the  New  York  society,  and  some 
of  their  descendants." 

Apparently,  the  same  authority  writes  later  as 
follows  in  the  same  journal :  "  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  feasting  my  eyes  once  more  -  with  the  mellow 
beauties  of  the  environs  of  the  Old  Blue  Church 
Graveyard.  It  is  true  the  old  church  has  long  since 
passed  away,  and  only  a  tiny  chapel,  for  funeral 
services,  occupies  its  place.  But  there  lies  still  the 
sunny  sidehill  spot,  partly  shaded  with  negligently 
beautiful  pines.  Within  it  lie  not  only  '  the  rude 
forefathers'  of  the  surrounding  settlements,  but 
many  of  the  leading  minds,  religious  and  secular, 
of  their  infant  Canada.  Yes,  here  lie  old  Dr. 
Henderson  and  many  of  his  descendants ;  and  David 
Brakenridge,  Esq.,  the  magistrate  and  preacher, 
who,  I  remarked  his  tombstone  says,  died  in  1833, 
at  the  age  of  seventy.  But  here  lie  also  Paul  and 
Barbara  Heck,  the  founders  of  Methodism  in  New 
York,  Cambridge,  near  Lake  Champlain,  and  Au- 
gusta, Canada.  Two  of  their  sons,  Jacob  and  Sam- 
uel, with  their  wives  and  some  of  their  children,  lie 
here.  Here  also  lies  the  Kev.  Thomas  Madden,  one 
oT  the  first  Canadians  who  became  an  itinerant,  with 
his  two  angel  daughters,  Hester  and  Eliza,  by  his 
Bide.  But  the  time  would  fail  to  enumerate  all  whc 


206  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

lie  around  them.  Many  in  that  truly  consecrated 
ground  will  shine  like  the  firmament  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  resurrection.  From  the  graveyard  I  bent 
my  steps  to  the  Heck  homesteads,  for  there  are 
two,  side  by  side,  facing  on  the  majestic  St.  Law- 
rence. Jacob's,  who  was  the  elder  of  the  two 
brothers,  is  nearer  to  the  graveyard.  He  had  lived 
in  Lower  Canada  longer  than  the  rest  of  the  family, 
and  when  he  made  him  a  home  in  the  Upper 
Province,  he  brought  with  him  Franco-Canadian 
ideas  of  domestic  architecture.  In  fact,  I  suppose 
the  original  type  of  the  house  is  Norman.  It  de- 
serves the  name  of  'hall'  much  better  than  many 
barracks  in  England  rejoicing  in  that  title.  It 
stands  on  a  knoll,  quite  near  the  river.  It  is  a 
large,  tall,  two-storied  stone  building,  with  a  very 
steep  roof,  folding  windows,  and  massive  walls.  The 
out-buildings  are  in  good  repair,  but  the  large,  aged, 
and  irregular  planted  Lombardy  poplars  around  have 
begun  to  decay,  producing  a  melancholy  impression. 
This  melancholy  is  deepened  when  the  returning 
acquaintance  of  other  years  enters,  and  misses  the 
benignant  eye  and  intelligent  face  of  the  gray-haired 
proprietor,  and  most  of  all,  misses  his  wondrously 
fascinating  conversation.  The  mother,  and  several 
of  the  precious  daughters,  too,  are  missed.  But  two 
of  the  family  linger  in  that  homestead.  The  once 
beautiful,  but  still  lady-like  and  noble,  Catherine 


BARBARA  HECK.  207 

survives,  who,  in  early  life,  sacrificed  an  affluent 
and  respectable  settlement,  because  she  foresaw  it 
would  be  adverse  to  her  spiritual  interests.  Though 
now  aged  and  infirm,  her  conversation  is  religiously 
cheerful,  while  her  countenance  bespeaks  the  most 
abiding  happiness.  Her  religious  hopes  and  senti- 
ments are  shared  by  her  younger  sister  Frances,  who 
is  scarcely  less  infirm  than  she.  May  time  deal 
gently  with  these  ladies,  and  Jehovah  crown  their 
closing  years  with  peace  !  Things  are  more  modern, 
vital,  and  progressive  in  Samuel's  late  estate.  The 
house  is  more  modern,  and  the  environs  more 
beautiful,  but  not  more  interesting.  The  broad 
acres  around  are  well  and  scientifically  cultivated. 
George  Heck,  Esq.,  the  youngest  grandson  of 
the  renowned  Paul  and  Barbara,  is  the  presiding 
and  active  genius  of  the  place.  Besides  his  lovely 
wife  and  children,  two  married  sisters,  Hester  and 
Mary  Ann,  patterns  of  well-read  and  intelligent 
piety,  remain  to  remind  one  of  their  parents. 
This  is  one  of  the  too  few  Methodist  families 
in  which  the  simple  piety  of  their  worthy  parents 
has  n'ot  deteriorated  along  with  increasing  knowledge 
and  refinement." 

The  Methodists  of  Canada  who  in  1804  bore 
Barbara  Heck  to  her  grave  in  the  old  Blue  Church- 
yard, might  well  have  exclaimed,  "  What  hath  God 
wrought ! "  The  cause  which  she  had  been  instru- 


208  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

mental  in  founding  had  already  spread  out  from  New 
York  city  over  the  whole  of  the  United  States,  and  over 
much  of  both  Canadas.  It  comprised  seven  annual 
conferences,  four  hundred  traveling  preachers,  and 
more  than  one  hundred  and  four  thousand  members. 
But  if  we  estimate  its  results  in  our  day,  as  we  have 
those  of  Wesleyan  and  Calvinistic  Methodism,  in  our 
sketches  of  their  respective  foundresses,  we  shall  see 
that  it  has  pleased  God  to  encircle  the  name  of  this 
lowly  woman  with  a  halo  of  pre-eminent  honor ;  for 
American  Methodism  has  far  transcended  all  other 
divisions  of  the  Methodistic  movement.  At  the  close 
of  its  first  hundred  years  its  "  centenary  book  "  records 
that  Embury's  little  congregation  of  five  persons,  in 
his  own  house,  has  multiplied  to  thousands  of  soci- 
eties, from  Ihe  northernmost  settlements  of  Canada 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Cali- 
fornia. The  first  small  conference  of  1773,  with  its 
10  preachers  and  its  1,160  reported  members,  has 
multiplied  to  60  conferences,  6,821  itinerant,  8,205 
local  preachers,  and  928,320  members  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  alone,  exclusive  of  the  South- 
ern, the  Canadian,  and  minor  branches,  all  the  off- 
spring of  the  Church  founded  in  1766  and  episco- 
pally  organized  in  1784  It  has  property  in  churches 
and  parsonages  amounting  to  about  $27,000,000.  It 
has  25  colleges  and  theological  schools,  with  property 
amounting  to  $3,055,000 ;  158  instructors,  and  5,345 


BARBARA  HECK.  209 

students ;  and  77  academies,  with  556  instructors  and 
17,761  students ;  making  a  body  of  714  instructors, 
and  an  army  of  23,106  students.  Its  church  prop- 
erty (churches,  parsonages,  and  colleges,  aside  from 
its  77  academies  and  Book  Concern)  amounts  to 
$30,055,000.  Its  Book  Concern  has  a  capital  of 
$837,000 ;  500  publishing  agents,  editors,  clerks,  and 
operatives ;  with  some  thirty  cylinder  power  presses 
in  constant  operation,  about  2,000  different  books  on 
its  catalogue,  besides  tracts,  etc. ;  14  periodicals, 
with  an  aggregate  circulation  of  more  than  1,000,000 
copies  per  month.*  Its  Sunday-School  Union  com- 
prises 13,400  schools,  more  than  150,000  instructors, 
nearly  918,000  pupils,  and  more  than  2,500,000 
library  books ;  it  issues  nearly  2,500  publications, 
besides  a  monthly  circulation  of  nearly  300,000 
numbers  of  its  periodicals.  Its  Missionary  Society 
has  1,059  circuits  and  stations,  1,128  paid  laborers, 
and  105,675  communicants.  The  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  South,  has  published  no  statistics  since 
the  rebellion  broke  out;  it  has  doubtless  suffered 
much  by  the  war,  but  it  reported,  the  last  year 
before  the  rebellion,  nearly  700,000  Church  mem- 
bers, nearly  2,600  ftinerant  and  5,000  local  preachers. 
It  had  12  periodical  publications,  12  colleges,  and 
77  academies,  with  8,000  students.  Its  Missionary 

*  There  are  five  independent  weekly  papers  in  the  Church  besides 
the  above  number  of  "official"  periodicals. 

14 


210  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

Society  sustained,  at  home  and  abroad,  about  360 
missionaries,  and  8  manual  labor  schools,  with  nearly 
500  pupils.  According  to  these  figures  the  two 
great  Episcopal  divisions  of  the  denomination  have 
had,  at  their  latest  reports,  1,628,320  members,  9,421 
traveling,  and  13,205  local  preachers,  with  191  col- 
leges and  academies,  and  31,106  students. 

The  Canada  "Wesleyan  Church  for  many  ^ars 
belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church ;  it  now 
reports  more  than  56,000  members,  500  itinerant 
preachers,  and  750  Sunday-schools  with  about  45,000 
pupils;  a  university,  a  female  college,  and  a  Book 
Concern  with  its  weekly  periodical.  Another  branch 
of  Canadian  Methodism,  the  "Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  Canada,"  equally  the  child  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States,  reports  3 
annual  conferences,  2  bishops,  216  traveling,  and  224 
local  preachers,  and  20.000  members;  a  seminary 
and  female  college,  and  a  weekly  newspaper.  The 
Canadian  "Wesleyan  Methodist  New  Connection 
Church  reports  90  traveling  and  147  local  preachers, 
and  8,450  communicants.  It  sustains  a  weekly  paper 
and  a  theological  school. 

The  other  Methodist  bodies,  in^he  United  States, 
are  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  the  American 
"Wesleyan  Methodists,  the  African  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  and  some  three  or*  four  smaller  sects; 
their  aggregate  membership  amounting  to  about 


BARBABA  HECK.  211 

260,000,  their  preachers  to  3,423.  Adding  the  trav- 
eling preachers  to  the  membership,  there  are  now 
in  the  United  States  about  1,901,164  Methodist 
communicants.  Adding  three  non-communicant 
members  of  its  congregations  for  each  communicant, 
it  has  under  its  influence  7,604,656  souls,  nearly 
one  fourth  of  the  whole  national  population.  Ag- 
gregately there  are  now  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada, .  as  the  results  of  the  Methodism  of  1766, 
1,972,770  Church  members,  13,650  traveling  preach- 
ers, 15,000  local  preachers,  nearly  200  colleges  and 
academies,  and  more  than  30  periodical  publications ; 
1,986,420  communicants,  including  preachers,  and 
nearly  8,000,000  people.  Meanwhile  heroic  men 
and  women,  in  whose  hearts  the  names  of  Embury 
and  Barbara  Heck  are  embalmed,  represent  the  de- 
nomination as  missionaries  in  most  of  the  ends  of 
the  earth  —  in  South  America,  Norway,  Sweden, 
Germany,  Switzerland,  Bulgaria,  Africa,  India,  and 
China. 

And  thus  it  is  in  these  times,  as  in  the  elder  ages, 
that  divine  "  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness," 
and  to  all  Methodists  it  may  be  said  with  peculiar 
emphasis :  "  Ye  see  your  calling,  brethren,  how  that 
not  many  wise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many  mighty, 
not  many  noble,  are  called:  but  God  hath  chosen 
the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise ; 
and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to 


212  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

confound  the  things  which  are  mighty;  and  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised, 
hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to 
bring  to  nought  things  that  are :  that  no  flesh  should 
glory  in  his  presence.  But  of  him  are  ye  in  Christ 
Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  sanctification,  and  redemption: 
that,  according  as  it  is  written,  He  that  glorieth,  let 
him  glory  in  the  Lord."  * 

*  1  Cor.  i,  26-31. 


ASBURY  AND  HIS  FEMALE  FRIENDS.  218 


CHAPTER  II. 

ASBURY  AND  HIS  FEMALE  FRIENDS. 

Asbury  and  Celibacy  —  Marriage  and  Location  of  his  Preachers  — 
His  Character — His  Influence  over  the  Higher  Classes  of  Families 
—  Mary  "Wilmer  —  Mary  Wallace  —  Mrs.  Baker  —  Mary  White  — 
Sketch  of  Judge  White's  Family  —  Mrs.  Senator  Bassett  —  Services 
of  her  Family  to  Methodism  —  Bohemia  Manor  —  Miss  Ennalls  — 
Introduction  of  Methodism  into  Dorchester  County,  Md.  —  Garrett- 
son  in  Prison  —  Prudence  Gough  —  Christian  Life  at  Perry  Hall  — 
Sophia  Gough  —  Asbury's  Female  Friends  in  Baltimore  —  Mrs. 
Moore  *—  Mrs.  Owings  —  Mrs.  Triplett  —  Rachel  Hulings  —  Mrs. 
Chamier  —  Martha  F.  Allison  —  Eleanor  Dorsey  —  Extraordinary 
Example  —  Asbury  among  the  Holston  Mountains  —  First  Confer- 
ence beyond  the  Alleghanies  —  Mrs.  General  Russell. 

ASBURY'S  persistent  celibacy,  and  his  discouragement 
of  marriage  among  the  early  Methodist  preachers, 
have  given  rise  to  the  suspicion  that  he  was  a 
man  of  unamiable  heart,  though  of  lofty  soul  and 
heroic  character.  The  suspicion,  however,  is  entirely 
at  fault.  It  was  "  not  his  choice  "  to  remain  single, 
as  he  expressly  says.  He  has  recorded  the  reasons  of 
this  self-denial,  and  they  do  much  credit  to  his  great 
and  tender  heart.  His  official  position  in  the  Church 
during  the  days  of  its  extremest  poverty  and  struggle, 
and  the  necessity  of  his  incessant  travels,  rendered  it 
inexpedient  for  him  to  have  a  local  home,  and  would 


214:  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

have  been  a  hardly  supportable  discomfort  to  a 
family.  "  "What  right  has  any  man  to  take  advant- 
age of  the  affections  of  a  woman'  under  such  cir- 
cumstances ? "  he  asks.  "  It  is  neither  just  nor  gen- 
erous." "  If  I  have  done  wrong,"  he  adds,  "  I  hope 
God  and  the  sex  will  forgive  me."  In  that  day  of 
trial  in  the  Church  he  regretted,  for  similar  reasons, 
the  marriage  of  his  preachers.  "I  calculate,"  he 
says,  as  early  as  1805,  "  that  we  have  lost  the  travel- 
ing labors  of  two  hundred  of  the  best  men  in 
America,  or  the  world,  by  marriage  and  consequent 
location."  His  calculation  was  comparatively  mod- 
erate, for  by  the  close  of  the  last  century  about  five 
hundred  of  his  preachers  had  died  located,  and 
many  of  the  remainder  were  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
interval  in  the  local  ranks,  but  were  able  again  to 
enter  the  itinerancy.  In  reading  his  journals  we  are 
continually  reminded  of  his  susceptibility  to  the  most 
tender  sentiments  by  frequent  allusions  to  his  female 
friendships.  "  Women  ministered  to  him,"  as  they 
did  to  his  divine  Master.  They  afforded  him  hund- 
reds of  temporary  but  hospitable  homes,  to  which  he 
delighted  to  return  in  his  long  routes,  and  often,  as 
he  advances  in  life,  and  as  he  recurs  to  his  old  and 
beloved  places  _of  entertainment,  to  find  the  place  of 
the  wife  and  mother  vacant  by  death,  his  allusions 
break  out  with  a  passionate  grief,  which  nothing  but 
his  hope  of  reunion  in  heaven  could  relieve.  They 


ASBURY  AND  HIS  FEMALE  FRIENDS.  215 

are  indeed  among  the  most  significant  and  touching 
illustrations  of  his  character.  Many  such  homes 
became  as  familiar  and  endeared  to  him  as  if  he 
were  connected  with  them  by  ties  of  the  most  inti- 
mate kindred ;  their  wives  and  mothers  were  as 
beloved  sisters  or  daughters.  As  was  natural,  these 
homes  were  generally,  though  not  exclusively,  among 
the  higher  classes  of  his  people,  and  his  semi-annual 
arrival  was  usually  anticipated  as  a  household  festi- 
val. He  had  a  notable  power  over  such  •lasses,  and 
his  personal  influence  probably  brought  more  of  them 
into  the  Church  than  that  of  all  his  ministerial  asso- 
ciates together.  His  simple  piety,  his  natural  dignity 
and  greatness  of  character,  together  with  his  fine 
conversational  powers  and  cheerful  humor,  had  a 
magical  charm  both  to  command  respect  and  afford 
delight  in  any  circle.  His  venerable  traveling  com- 
panion, Henry  Boehm,  says,  "In  private  circles  he 
would  unbend,  and  relate  amusing  incidents  and 
laugh  most  heartily.  He  said  '  if  he  was  as  grave  as 
Bishop  M'Kendree  he  should  live  but  a  short  time.' 
He  would  often  indulge  in  a  vein  of  innocent  pleas- 
antry." 

He  was  dear  even  to  the  young  people  of  such 
families.  "  He  was  very  fond  of  children,  and  they 
of  him.  They  would  run  to  meet  him  and  then 
receive  his  blessing ;  they  gathered  around  his  knees 
and  listened  to  his  conversation.  He  would  some- 


216  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

times  place  them  on  his  knee,  and  teach  them  the 
following  lesson : 

1  Learn  to  read,  and  learn  to  pray ; 
Learn  to  work,  and  learn  to  obey.1 

Then  he  would  show  the  benefit  of  learning  these 
lessons.  '  Learn  to  read,  to  make  you  wise ;  learn 
to  pray,  to  make  you  good ;  learn  to  work,  to 
get  your  living ;  learn  to  obey,  that  you  may  be 
obeyed."  One  day  we  were  approaching  a  house, 
and  a  little  boy  saw  us  coming.  He  ran  in  and 
said,  '  Mother,  I  want  my  face  washed  and  a  clean 
apron  on,  for  Bishop  Asbtiry  is  coming,  and  I  am 
sure  he  will  hug  me  up.'  The  bishop  loved  to  hug 
the  children  to  his  heart,  which  always  beat  with 
such  pure  affection  toward  them.  In  this  respect  he 
strikingly  resembled  his  Master,  and  was  a  fine 
model  for  ministers  to  follow." 

The  intelligent  and  wealthy  households  which 
habitually  entertained  him  for  nearly  half  a  century 
in  all  parts  of  the  country  could  be  enumerated  by 
scores.  "We  can  get  but  glimpses  of  them,  however, 
from  the  too  brief  allusions  of  his  journals ;  and  the 
paucity  of  our  early  Church  literature  allows  of 
no  satisfactory  commemoration  of  their  hospitality. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  in  the  country  he  found, 
at  Philadelphia,  in  the  house  of  Lambert  "Wil- 
mer,  one  of  those  asylums  that  for  years  was 
among  hia  choice  resorts  in  the  city,  for  MARY 


MARY  WILMER.  217 

WILMER  loved  and  served  him  as  Mary  of  Bethany 
did  the  Great  Teacher.  Before  the  introduction 
of  Methodism  into  America,  Dr.  Wrangle,  a  good 
Swedish  missionary,  afterward  chaplain  to  his  king, 
sent  out  by  his  government  to  minister  to  its  emi- 
grants in  Philadelphia,  had  met  Lambert  Wilmer 
and  loved  him  as  a  true  disciple  of  the  faith.  The 
doctor  appealed  to  Wesley  in  person,  at  a  dinner 
table,  on  his  way  home  through  England,  to  send 
out  Methodist  missionaries  to  the  colonies.*  The 
zealous  and  catholic  Swede  had  been  preparing  the 
way  for  Methodism  in  Philadelphia.  John  Hood 
had  been  converted  under  his  ministry  there ;  and 
the  missionary  had  recommended  him  to  the  friend- 
ship of  Wilmer,  who  was  then  a  devoted  young 
man  of  St.  Paul's  Church.  The  two  youths  became 
like  David  and  Jonathan,  and  after  years  of  Chris- 
tian co-operation  they  mutually  requested  that  they 
might  rest  in  the  same  grave.  Their  Swedish 
friend,  obtaining  from  Wesley  the  promise  of  a 
preacher,  wrote  back  to  them  the  good  news,  and 
advised  them  to  become  Methodists.  They  accord- 
ingly became  founders  of  the  new  Church  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  their  names  are  still  venerated,  and 
where  they  now  sleep  in  one  tomb  under  the  Union 
Methodist  Church. 

Hood  became  one  of  the  first  four  male  members 

0  Wesley's  Journals,  October,  1768. 


218  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

of  the  class  in  Philadelphia,  and  Wilraer  soon  after 
joined  them.  They  were  both  on  hand  to  welcome  the 
missionaries  of  Wesley,  and  were  among  the  found- 
ers and  for  many  years  the  chief  veterans  of  Old  St. 
George's,  the  first  Methodist  Church  of  the  city. 
"  Lambert  Wilmer,"  says  Lednum,  the  local  Church 
historian,  "  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  but  made 
Philadelphia  his  home.  He  was  an  officer  in  the 
militia,  at  the  time  of  the  struggle  for  independence, 
and  was  in  the  engagements  at  Germantown,  Tren- 
ton, and  Princeton.  His  first  wife  was  a  Miss  Mary 
Barker,  of  the  region  of  Salem,  New  Jersey.  They 
were  leaders  of  classes  among  the  Methodists  at  an 
early  day  at  St.  George's.  Mrs.  Wilmer  was  a  dis- 
tinguished primitive  Methodist  in  Philadelphia." 
As  early  as  1772,  Asbury  made  Wilmer's  house  his 
home ;  and  observes,  "  I  was  heavily  afflicted,  and 
dear  Sister  Wilmer  took  great  care  of  me."  She 
was  the  second  female  class-leader  in  the  city — 
appointed  to  that  office  about  1775.  In  1796  she 
triumphed  over  death,  in  her  fifty-first  year.  She  is 
still  represented  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
by  her  descendants. 

The  elder  Methodists  of  Philadelphia  long  de- 
lighted to  talk  of  the  virtues  and  services  of  Mary 
Wilmer  the  friend  of  Asbury.  And  there  also  was 
MAEY  WALLACE,  who  was  hardly  less  dear  to  him. 
When  long  separated,  and  both  were  hoary  with 


MES.   JACOB  BAKER.  219 

age,  they  met  briefly  again  to  recall  the  old  times. 
In  1813,  as  the  Bishop  was  returning  from  New 
England,  he  came  to  Danville,  where  he  found  her 
unexpectedly,  and  says,  "  The  wife  of  Daniel  Mont- 
gomery is  my  old  friend  Molly  Wallace,  but  ah ! 
how  changed  in  forty-two  years ! "  He  first  saw  her 
in  1771,  when,  most  likely,  she  was  the  wife  of 
Burton  Wallace.  This  was  when  Mr.  Asbury  "first 
landed  in  Philadelphia.  Burton  Wallace  and  his  wifo 
joined  the  first  Society  raised  up  in  Philadelphia. 

And  there  was  also  Mrs.  JACOB  BAKER,  who  minis- 
tered not  only  to  Asbury  but  to  Coke,  and,  in  fine, 
to  all  the  earliest  itinerants  who  sojourned  in  the 
city.  Many  of  the  early  ministerial  and  episcopal 
letters  that  remain  are  dated  from  her  hospita- 
ble home,  "  No.  62  Front  street,  Philadelphia." 
Jacob  Baker  was  a  wholesale  dry  goods  merchant, 
and  among  the  most  liberal  supporters  of  the  infant 
Church.  The  graves  of  the  goodly  couple  are 
marked  by  marble  slabs  in  the  "  Union  Church" 
yard.  They  were  "  born  the  same  year  ;  1Y53  was 
their  natal  year.  They  were  married  in  1773,  when 
twenty  years  old.  The  same  year  he  united  him- 
self with  the  Methodists*  She  had  joined  them 
the  year  before  they  were  united  in  matrimony. 
After  they  had  lived  together  in  happy  Christian 
union  for  forty-four  years,  she  was  called  home  in 
1817  to  enjoy  the  reward  of  righteousness.  Her 


220  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

companion  survived  her  to  mourn  her  loss  for  three 
years,  when,  in  1820,  he  followed  her  in  triumph. 
She  was  sixty-four  years  old,  and  he  was  sixty- 
seven.  They  were  among  the  excellent  of  the  earth. 
Mr.  Baker  was  remarkably  benevolent ;  and,  if  he 
did  not  carry  his  benevolence  as  far  as  Anthony 
Benezet,  of  Chestnut  street,  who  fed  his  rats,  he 
was*  careful  to  "feed  the  hungry"  of  his  own 
species,  and  abounded  in  good  works.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  second  board  of  trustees  of  St. 
George's ;  and,  we  presume,  was  a  trustee  of  the 
Academy  Church,  after  the  Methodists,  bought  it  for 
$8,000  in  1801  or  1802.  He  was  also  the  president 
of  the  board  of  trust  of  the  Chartered  Fund." 

As  Asbury  extended  his  travels  southward  such 
friends  and  wayside  homes  multiplied,  and  not  a 
few  of  them  have  become  historical  in  the  annals  of 
the  .denomination.  MARY  WHITE,  Ann  Ennalls  Bas- 
sett,  Prudence  Gough,  and  many  other  names,  con- 
tinually meet  the  eye  in  our  early  biographies  and 
journals.  The  mansion  of  the  White  family  was 
the  refuge  of  all  the  Methodist  preachers  of  the  last 
century  in  Delaware,  and  the  central  parts  of  the 
country  generally,  particularly  during  the  stormy 
period  of  the  Revolutionary  War ;  it  was  especially 
such  to  Asbury  at  the  darkest  time  of  that  struggle. 
As  Methodists  they  were  held  responsible  for  Wes- 
ley's opposition  to  the  Revolution,  and  the  mob  and 


MARY   WHITE.  221 

petty  magistrates,  swayed  by  political  excitement, 
and  many  of  them  by  sectarian  jealousy,  listened  to 
no  remonstrances  or  entreaties.  The  test-oaths  re- 
quired a  pledge  to  take  up  arms,  if  called  upon  to 
do  so  by  the  authorities.  Asbury,  though  well 
affected  toward  the  colonial  cause,  could  not  con- 
sent to  such  a  contingency.  His  conscience  as  a 
preacher  of  the  Gospel  forbade  him.  The  peril  at 
last  came  nearer  home  to  him.  In  March,  1778,  he 
writes,  in  retirement,  at  the  house  of  his  friend, 
Judge  White,  of  Kent  County,  Delaware :  "  I  intend 
to  abide  here  for  a  season  till  the  storm  is  abated. 
The  grace  of  God  is  a  sufficient  support  while  I 
bear  the  reproach  of  men,  and  am  rewarded  evil  for 
all  the  good  which  I  have  done,  and  desire  to  do 
for  mankind.  I  am  strongly  persuaded  that  Divine 
Providence  will  bring  about  a  change  before  long." 
On  the  2d  of  April  the  light-horse  patrol  came  to 
the  house,  and  seizing  Judge  White,  bore  him  off, 
leaving  his  wife  and  children  with  Asbury  in  great 
alarm.  They  observed  together  the  next  day  as  an 
occasion  of  fasting  and  prayer.  On  Saturday,  April 
4,  Asbury  says :  "  This  was  a  day  of  much  divine 
power  and  love  to  my  soul.  I  was  left  alone,  and 
spent  part  of  every  hour  in  prayer  ;  and  Christ  was 
near  and  very  precious."  He  "retreated  into  a  neigh- 
boring swamp  for  some  days,"  but  returned  to  his 
hospitable  shelter. 


222  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

A  contemporary  authority,  a  witness  of  many  of 
these  sufferings  of  the  Methodist  itinerants,  gives  us 
a  somewhat  minute  account  of  Asbury's  present  cir- 
cumstances. "After  having  traveled  and  preached 
at  large  with  all  the  zeal,  fidelity,  and  caution  which 
prudence  could  dictate,  he,  being  much  suspected  as 
an  Englishman,  had  at  length  to  retire,  in  a  great 
measure,  for  a  season,  until  the  indignation  was 
overpast.  The  spirit  of  the  times  was  such  that  he 
could  not  safely  continue  to  travel  openly.  In  the 
year  1778,  when  the  storm  was  at  its  highest,  and 
persecution  raged  furiously,  he  advisedly  confined 
himself  chiefly  to  the  little  state  of  Delaware,  where 
the  laws  were  rather  more  favorable,  and  the  rulers 
and  influential  men  were  somewhat  more  friendly. 
For  a  time  he  had  even  there  to  keep  himself  much 
retired.  He  found  an  asylum  in  the  house  of  his 
fast  and  firm  friend,  Thomas  "White,  Esq.,  one  of 
the  judges  of  the  court  in  Kent  County.  He  was 
a  pious  man,  and  his  wife  one  of  the  holiest  of 
women.  They  were  great  friends  to  the  cause  of 
religion,  and  to  the  preachers  generally.  From  this 
place  of  retreat  he  could  correspond  with  his  suf- 
fering brethren  who  were  scattered  abroad.  He 
could  also  occasionally  travel  about,  visiting  the 
Societies,  and  sometimes  preach  to  the  people.  He 
was  accessible  to  all  the  preachers  and  his  friends 
who  came  to  see  him ;  so  that  by  means  of  corre- 


MARY   WHITE.  223 

spondence  and  visits  they  could  communicate  with 
one  another  for  mutual  counsel,  comfort,  and  encour- 
agement. In  some  of  their  movements  they  had  to 
be  very  cautious ;  for  they  were  watched  as  the  par- 
tridge is  watched  by  the  hawk  on  the  mountain. 
However,  his  manner  of  life  was  such  as  to  procure 
him  many  friends,  among  whom  were  some  of  the 
most  respectable  characters  in  the  state,  and  eventu- 
ally he  gained  the  good-will  and  confidence  of  the 
public  generally,  and  of  the  principal  officers  of  the 
state.  Among  those  whose  particular  confidence  he 
secured  we  might  mention,  with  Judge  White,  the 
pious  Judge  Barratt,  both  of  whom  opened  their 
houses  for  the  brethren  as  homes,  and  protected  the 
preachers,  and  exerted  their  influence  in  support  of 
religion.  Each  of  them  was  instrumental  in  having 
a  preaching-house  built  in  his  respective  neighbor- 
hood, which  to  this  day  are  called  White's  meeting- 
house and  Barrattfs  Chapel.  We  may  also  mention 
the  late  Richard  Bassett,  Esq.,  well  known  as  a  dis- 
tinguished character,  not  only  in  the  state,  but  in 
the  United  States.  At  different  times  he  filled  high 
and  honorable  stations.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  note, 
a  legislator,  judge,  and  a  governor  of  Delaware.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  convention  which  framed 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  a  senator  in 
the  first  Congress,  and  a  judge  of  the  United '  States 
Court  for  the  circuit  comprising  the  Districts  of 


224:  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

Pennsylvania,  Kew  Jersey,  and  Delaware.  Their 
friendship  and  confidential  intercourse  was  intimate 
and  uninterrupted  till  death,  the  one  surviving  the 
other  but  a  few  months.  I  mention  these  names, 
and  many  others  might  be  mentioned,  if  time  would 
permit,  as  a  tribute  of  respect  due  to  their  memory, 
in  order  to  give  an  idea  how  the  Lord  providen- 
tially favored  Asbury  and  his  brethren  in  raising  up 
friends  to  open  the  way  before  them,  that  his  word 
might  go  forth  as  a  lamp  that  burneth.  Their 
friendship  and  patronage  not  only  extended  to  him, 
but  to  his  suffering  brethren  generally ;  to  the  per- 
secuted Societies,  and  to  the  weeping  cause  of  re- 
ligion. Under  their  fostering  protection  bleeding 
Zion  smiled  in  the  midst  of  tears."  The  ladies  of 
these  households  were  their  priestesses,  and  nourished 
and  consoled  God's  sojourning  prophets. 

The  family  of  Judge  "White,  which  thus  gave  refuge 
to  Asbury,  and  to  not  a  few  of  his  brethren,  during 
these  stormy  times,  was  one  of  the  most  notable  in 
the  early  days  of  Methodism.  Like  that  of  Gough, 
at  Perry  Hall ;  of  Bassett,  at  Bohemia  Manor ;  and 
of  Barratt,  at  "Barratt's  Chapel,"  .Kent,  its  name 
continually  recurs  in  the  journals  of  Asbury,  Coke, 
Garrettson.  Abbott,  and  in  other  early  Methodist 
publications.  These  memorable  historical  families, 
though  associated  with  the  highest  social  circles  of 
their  times,  counted  not  their  wealth  nor  their  lives 


MARY  WHITE.  225 

dear  unto  them,  choosing  rather  to  suffer  persecution 
with  the  people  of  Glod. 

Thomas  White,  "  Chief  Judge  of  the  Common 
Pleas,"  had  been  an  unexceptionable  member  of  the 
English  Church  before  he  met  with  the  Methodists. 
His  wife,  Mary  White,  was  a  lady  of  special  excel- 
lence ;  devoted,  charitable,  strict  in  the  religious 
education  of  her  family,  not  omitting  her  numerous 
colored  servants,  to  whom  she  carefully  taught  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  Hearing  the  Methodists  preach, 
her  devout  heart  recognized  them  as  congenial 
Christians,  and  she  reported  them  so  favorably  to 
her  husband  that  he  was  induced  to  accompany  her 
and  their  children  to  one  of  their  appointments. 
The  preachers  were  invited  to  his  mansion,  and  it 
remained  a  "  preaching  place "  till  the  erection  of 
White's  Chapel.  His  wife  not  only  led  him  to  the 
Methodist  communion,  but  became  his  best  guide  to 
heaven.  She  was  a  woman  of  rare  talents,  of  re- 
markable but  modest  courage,  and  of  fervent  zeal. 
When  he  was  seized  by  the  military  patrol  she  clung 
to  him,  defending  him,  and  declaring  to  the  ruffians, 
who  brandished  their  swords  over  her,  that  she 
feared  them  not,  until,  overpowered  by  their  num- 
bers, he  was  borne  away.  She  soon  followed  them, 
found  out  the  place  of  his  confinement,  and  rested 
not  till  she  effected  his  restoration  to  his  family. 

"  On  another  sorrowful  occasion,"  says  a  Methodist 

15 


226  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

annalist,  "  when  a  drafted  company  of  soldiers  came 
by  her  house  and  halted,  while  the  men  were  weep- 
ing on  account  of  leaving  their  parents,  wives,  and 
sisters,  and  while  wives  and  sisters  were  clinging  to 
their  husbands  and  brothers,  telling  by  their  gush- 
ing tears  how  deeply  they  felt  as  they  were  parting 
with  them,  fearing  they  should  see  them  no  more, 
Mrs.  "White  kneeled  down  on  the  ground  before 
them  and  offered  up  fervent  prayers,  mingling  her 
tears  with  theirs  for  their  temporal  and  eternal  sal- 
vation ;  and  when  the  Methodists  were  met  for 
worship,  if  there  were  none  present  more  suitable, 
she  took  up  the  cross,  led  the  religious  exercises, 
and  met  the  class  ;  and  she  would  have  gone  further 
and  preached  if  Asbury  had  encouraged  her.  That 
child  of  nature  and  of  grace,  Benjamin  Abbott,  was 
at  Mr.  White's  in  October,  1782 ;  when  about  to 
start  for  Quarterly  Meeting  at  Barratt's  Chapel,  he 
says,  '  Mrs.  White  came  to  me  as  I  sat  on  my  horse, 
and  took  hold  of  my  hand,  exhorting  me  for  some 
time.  I  felt  very  happy  under  her  wholesome  ad- 
monitions.' Thomas  Ware  says,  '  She  was  a  mother 
in  Israel  in  very  deed.'  When  her  husband  informed 
her  that  his  end  was  nigh,  she  spent  the  last  night 
in  supplications  for  him,  and  with  him  exulted  in 
victory  as  he  entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord.  She, 
like  her  husband,  professed  and  exemplified  the 
grace  of  perfect  love.  They  were  lovely  in  their 


MARY  WHITE.  227 

lives,  and  in  death  were  not  long  divided ;  she  soon 
followed  him  to  the  '  better  country.'  IsTear  by  the 
old  homestead  the  bricks  that  arched  their  graves, 
now  sunk  in  the  earth,  mark  the  spot  where  their 
heaven-watched  dust  reposes,  till  they  shall  again 
appear  in  the  bloom  and  beauty  of  immortality."  * 

Richard  Bassett,  of  Dover,  Delaware,  was,  as  we 
have  seen,  a  man  of  pre-eminence  in  the  civil  and 
social  life  of  these  times.  He  first  met  Asbury  in  his 
concealment  at  Judge  White's  residence.  On  a  pro- 
fessional journey  to  Maryland,  he  called  there  to  spend 
a  night  with  his  friend,  the  Judge.  As  a  door  in  the 

*  Lednura,  p.  259.  Lednum  visited  the  place  in  1848.  He  found 
there  an  old  negress  who  had  been  a  servant  of  Judge  White,  who 
was  then  in  her  eighty-eighth  year.  "  Soon  the  little  African  woman, 
led  by  a  girl — for  she  was  almost  blind — came.  She  could  point  to 
the  spot  where  the  house  stood  where  the  preachers  were  secreted, 
though  the  house,  as  well  as  the  wood  that  stood  between  it  and  the 
dwelling-house,  has  long  since  disappeared.  She  distinctly  remem- 
bered all  the  old  preachers  that  visited  her  old  master,  and  could 
describe  them.  The  old  hip-roofed  two-story  house  in  which  Judge 
White  lived  is  still  standing,  and  has  much  of  the  original  material 
in  it  after  the  lapse  of  a  hundred  years.  The  floors  on  which  the 
beds  were  spread,  to  accommodate  the  Methodists  attending  Quarterly 
Meetings  and  the  preachers  when  assembled  for  Conference,  on  which 
they  read  their  Bibles  on  their  knees  and  offered  up  their  fervent  prayer?, 
are  still  there.  While  sitting  in  this  house,  which  sheltered  the  first 
race  of  Methodist  preachers,  I  felt  as  if  it  were  relatively  holy,  having 
been  sanctified  by  the  presence  and  prayers  of  Asbury,  Shadford, 
Waiters,  Garrettson,  Pedicord,  Coke,  Whatcoat,  and  many  others. 
When  I  lay  down  on  the  bed  to  pass  the  night,  I  was  less  inclined 
to  sleep  than  to  call  up  the  scenes  that  had  transpired  seventy 
years  before.  My  soul  was  full  of  other  times !  " 


228  WOMEN   OF    METHODISM. 

house  was  opened  he  observed  Asbury,  with  some 
other  preachers,  apparently  retired  in  quiet  conver- 
sation, and  inquired  of  Mrs.  White  who  "  they  were, 
dressed  in  sable  garments  and  keeping  themselves 
aside  ? "  "  They  are  some  of  the  best  men  in  the  world ; 
they  are  Methodist  preachers,"  replied  the  hostess. 
He  was  evidently  disturbed  by  this  intelligence, 
and  observed,  "  Then  I  cannot  stay  here  to-night." 
"  You  must  stay ;  they  cannot  hurt  you,"  rejoined 
the  lady.  Supper  being  ready,  they  all  sat  down  at 
the  table.  Asbury  had  considerable  conversation 
with  Bassett,  "by  which  he  was  convinced  that  Meth- 
odist preachers  were  not  so  ignorant  or  unsociable 
as  to  make  them  outcasts  from  civil  society.  On 
taking  leave,  he  invited  Asbury,  more  from  custom 
than  desire,  to  call  on  him  in  case  he  visited  Dover. 
When  Bassett  returned  home  and  informed  his  wife 
that  he  had  been  in  company  with  Methodist  preach- 
ers, and  had  invited  one  of  them  to  his  house,  she 
was  greatly  troubled ;  but  was  quieted  when  he  told 
her,  '  It  is  not  likely  that  he  will  come.'  "  But  some 
time  later,  Bassett,  while  looking  out  of  his  win- 
dow, saw  the  itinerant  approaching.  That  evening 
Asbury  charmed  by  his  conversation  a  large  circle 
at  the  tea-table,  till  late  into  the  night ;  and  for 
nearly  twoscore  years  Richard  Bassett  was  his 
unfailing  friend. 

Subsequently  Asbury,  on  visiting  the  family,  de- 


MES.   BASSETT.  229 

scribes  Bassett  as  "  a  very  conversant  and  affectionate 
man,  who,  from  his  own  acknowledgments,  appears 
to  be  sick  of  sin.  His  wife  is  under  great  distress ; 
she  prays  much."  It  was  not  long  before  she  was 
rejoicing  in  the  consolation  of  the  Gospel,  and  her 
husband  followed  in  her  steps.  They  became  zeal- 
ous and  exemplary  Methodists.  He  "  lived  a  bright 
example  of  holiness,  and  left  the  world  praising 
God."  He  often  preached,  and  was  the  chief 
founder  of  "  Wesley  Chapel,"  in  Dover.  They  had 
three  residences,  one  in  Dover,  one  in  "Wilmington, 
and  another  at  Bohemia  Manor,  a  famous  locality 
in  the  early  Methodist  annals,  where  Ann  Bassett 
delighted  to  minister  to  the  way-worn  itinerants. 
All  of  them  were  favorite  homes  of  the  ministry  > 
and  scenes  of  early  Quarterly  Conferences  and 
other  extraordinary  meetings.  Bohemia  Manor  con- 
sisted of  eighteen  thousand  acres  on  the  Bohemia 
and  Elk  rivers.  The  family  owned  six  thousand  of 
the  best  of  these  acres.  They  had  a  famous  "  old 
log  Bethesda  Chapel"  on  the  Manor,  in  which  the 
greatest  heroes  of  primitive  Methodism  sounded  their 
trumpets.  The  mansion  there  was  as  noted  a  resort 
of  Methodist  preachers  as  Perry  Hall  on  the  western 
shore  of  Maryland ;  "  it  was  seldom  without  some  one 
of  them,  and  often  had  a  number  of  them  together." 
The  generous  hostess  received  one  of  them,  broken 
down  with  age  and  labor,  as  superintendent  of  the 


230  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

household.  The  neighboring  groves  sometimes  re- 
sounded with  the  melodies  of  Methodist  camp-meet- 
ings. The  Manor  became  "  famous  for  Methodism ; 
in  almost  every  family  Methodists  were  found.  Mrs. 
Bassett  did  not  live  many  years ;  but  while  she  lived 
she  was  a  bright  example  of  holiness,  and  left  the 
world  praising  God.  Mr.  Bassett's  second  wife,  it 
appears,  was  a  Garnet,  a  Talbot  county  lady,  and  an 
ardent  Christian.  Mr.  Bassett  raised  but  one  child. 
She  was  a  Methodist.  The  Hon.  James  Bayard,  an 
eminent  lawyer  and  statesman,  who  was  associated 
with  Messrs.  Gallatin,  Russell,  Adams,  and  Clay  in 
negotiating  the  treaty  of  Ghent  in  1814,  married 
her.  The  influence  of  the  Bassett  family  was  most 
salutary  for  Methodism." 

Lednum  records  that  "Methodism  having  sur- 
rounded Dorchester,  in  Maryland,  the  Lord  prepared 
the  way  in  17Y9  for  its  introduction  into  this  county. 
A  Miss  Ennalls,  niece  of  Judge  Ennalls,  and  sister 
to  Henry  Ennalls,  had  been  visiting  her  friends,  and 
had  fallen  in  with  the  Methodists,  (perhaps  in  Dover, 
Delaware,  where  Richard  Bassett,  her  brother-in- 
law,  lived,)  by  whom  she  was  convinced  that  she 
was  in  a  lost  state.  Afterward  she  was  filled  with 
peace,  joy,  and  love.  When  she  returned  home,  her 
relations  thought  her  beside  herself,  as  they  knew 
nothing  of  any  such  experience.  She,  however,  per- 


MAKY  ENNALLS.  231 

severed,  and  was  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of 
her  sister,  MARY  ENNALLS,  and  some  others.  This 
last-named  sister  went  down  the  county  to  visit 
Henry  Airey,  Esq.,  who  was  related  to  her.  As  Mr. 
Airey  was  an  entire  stranger  to  experimental  re- 
ligion, which  Mary  was  enforcing,  and  fearing  that 
his  wife,  who  began  to  show  some  symptoms  of  seri- 
ousness, would  lose  her  reason,  he  undertook  to  con- 
vince his  visitor  that  the  Methodists  were  wrong, 
and  for  this  purpose  he  took  up  a  book  written  by 
an  old  Puritan,  and  began  to  read  it  to  Mary;  but 
he  had  not  spent  many  minutes  in  reading  before 
he  began  to  weep  under  conviction.  He  read  till 
he  thought  he  must  go  among  the  Methodists,  and 
compare  his  book  with  their  books  of  religion.  In 
order  to  compare  notes  he  went  to  Judge  White's, 
and  found  that  his  book  and  theirs  agreed  in  sub- 
stance. If  Methodism  was  a  disease,  he  was  by  this 
time  deeply  infected  with  it.  After  passing  through 
the  darkness  and  distress  of  penitential  grief,  the 
Lord  removed  the  burden  of  his  guilt,  and  gave  him 
peace ;  and  then  he  was  urgent  in  his  requests  to  Mr. 
Asbury  to  have  Methodist  preaching  in  his  county. 
On  the  10th  of  February,  1780,  Mr.  Garrettson 
rose  early  in  the  morning  and  called  upon  God,  and 
his  soul  was  greatly  strengthened  ;  and,  being  com- 
mended to  God  in  prayer  by  Asbury  for  this  mis- 
sion, he  set  out  from  Mr.  White's  for  Mr.  Airey's. 


232  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

The  family,  white  and  black,  assembled  for  worship. 
The  divine  presence  was  there  ;  and  Mrs.  Airey  was 
so  filled  that  she  sank  to  the  floor  rejoicing  aloud ; 
and  the  work  of  grace  commenced  among  the  blacks. 
For  three  days  Mr.  Garrettson  labored  at  Mr. 
Airey's,  and  the  congregations  were  deeply  affected. 
The  work  of  salvation  was  begun.  '  One  man,'  said 
Mr.  Garrettson,  l  was  deeply  affected  by  seeing  us.' 
As  soon  as  the  Lord  began  to  work  the  enemies 
began  their  rage,  by  giving  a  wicked  man  permission 
to  take  his  life,  promising  to  protect  him  against  the 
penalty  of  the  law.  Mr.  Garrettson  returned  to  Mr. 
Airey's,  and  this  wicked  device  failed.  On  Satur- 
day, the  25th,  he  seemed  to  have  a  presentiment,  in 
his  very  solemn  feeling,  of  something  remarkable  at 
hand.  With  his  friend,  Mr.  Airey,  he  had  been 
preaching  to  a  weeping  congregation ;  and,  as  they 
were  returning  home  in  the  evening,  a  company  of 
men  surrounded  them,  and  called  Mr.  Garrettson 
their  prisoner,  beating  his  horse  and  using  much 
profane  language.  After  night  they  took  him  to  a 
magistrate,  who  ordered  him  to  jail.  In  the  darkness 
his  friend  Airey  and  several  of  his  foes  started  for 
the  prison.  They  had  not  gone  a  mile  before  there 
was  an  awful  flash  of  lightning,  and  in  a  minute 
his  foes  fled  and  left  him  and  Mr.  Airey.  About 
midnight  Mr.  Garrettson  returned  with  his  friend, 
and  found  the  family  waiting ;  they  were  received 


MARY  ENNALLS.  233 

joyfully,  and  had  a  happy  family  meeting.  The 
next  day  being  Sunday,  he  undertook  to  fill  his 
appointment  at  Mr.  Airey's.  Just  as  he  was  begin- 
ning his  meeting  his  persecutors  came  up  in  a  body. 
Their  head  man,  presenting  a  pistol,  laid  hold  of 
him.  He  was  pulled  into  a  room ;  but,  as  soon  as 
he  could,  he  went  out  into  the  midst  of  them  and 
began  to  exhort.  Soon  the  most  of  them  were  in 
tears  ;  and  the  female  part  of  the  congregation 
were  much  alarmed.  His  horse  was  made  ready, 
and  accompanied  by  his  friend  Mr.  Airey,  and  his 
enemies,  they  started  for  Cambridge.  When  he 
arrived,  he  and  Mr.  Airey  occupied  a  room  in  a 
tavern  from  noon  till  night.  The  people  of  Cam- 
bridge came  to  the  hotel  to  drink  and  rejoice  over 
their  prisoner,  and  their  hatred  to  Mr.  Airey  was 
nearly  as  great,  for  bringing  the  Methodists  into  the 
county.  Before  this  he  stood  high  as  a  citizen." 

He  was  also  a  magistrate,  and  a  Revolutionary 
soldier.  "  One  of  the  bullies  made  an  attempt  to 
come  into  the  room  to  abuse  them,  and  aimed  a 
blow  at  Mr.  Airey,  that  might  have  been  fatal  if  he 
had  received  its  full  force.  This  sudden  attack  was 
too  much  for  the  soldier,  who  feeling  an  '  old  man's 
bone  in  him,'  as  John  Nelson  said,  brought  his 
persecutor  to  the  floor  by  a  blow  on  his  temple, 
which  raised  a  bar-room  laugh,  and  caused  them  to 
behave  a  little  better.  Mr.  Garrettson  reproved 


234r  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

his  friend  with  tears  for  this  act,  which  seemed 
to  be  unpremeditated  on  his  part,  and  for  which 
Mr.  Airey  could  not  feel  that  he  had  done  wrong. 
After  they  had  kept  Mr.  Garrettson  in  the  tavern 
for  a  show  during  the  afternoon  of  the  Lord's  day, 
toward  night  they  lodged  him  in  prison,  and  took 
away  the  key,  that  his  friends  might  not  minister 
to  him.  He  had  a  dirty  floor  for  his  bed,  his 
saddle-bag  for  a  pillow,  and  a  cold  east  wind  blow- 
ing upon  him.  But  being  imprisoned  for  the  same 
cause  that  Paul  and  Silas  were,  he  found  similar 
comfort  in  his  confinement.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Airey 
did  all  in  their  power  to  make  him  comfortable, 
and  many  acquaintances  and  strangers  came  far 
and  near  to  visit  him.  After  about  two  weeks'  con- 
finement in  the  jail  at  Cambridge,  he  was  set  at 
liberty  by  the  governor  and  council  of  Maryland ; 
his  good  friend,  Mr.  Airey,  going  to  Annapolis  to 
obtain  his  release.  His  enemies,  on  hearing  of  his 
discharge,  were  greatly  enraged.  On  this  first  visit 
to  Dorset  he  spent  a  little  over  a  month ;  about 
half  of  it  in  preaching,  and  half  of  it  in  prison." 
And  thus  had  Methodism  been  transplanted  from 
the  home  of  the  Bassetts,  through  the  agency  of  a 
woman,  into  Dorchester  county.  In  no  place  was 
there  a  stouter  opposition  manifested  at  its  intro- 
duction, and  in  no  place  was  its  success  greater ; 
many  of  its  bitterest  enemies  submitted  to  it.  "After 


PRUDENCE   GOUGH.  235 

about  two  years'  labor  and  suffering  on  the  part  of 
the  preachers,  they  reported  almost  eight  hundred 
Methodists  in  the  county.  Methodism  has  long 
been  honored  there ;  and  "  there  are  but  few  pro- 
fessors of  religion  that  belong  to  any  other  than  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church." 

The  two  Miss  Ennalls,  we  have  already  seen,  were 
the  first  Methodists  in  Dorchester.  Henry  Airey, 
who  lived  southeast  of  Cambridge,  was  the  first  man ; 
at  his  house  the  first  Society  was  formed,  and  he 
was  its  class-le'ader ;  at  his  house  the  first  quarterly 
meeting  in  the  county  was  held. 

Perry  Hall  is  still  more  historical  in  the  Church,  if 
possible,  than  the  White  Mansion,  as  a  home  of 
Asbury  and  his  itinerant  associates ;  and  its  lady, 
PRUDENCE  GOUGH,  gave  it  primarily  its  fame  for 
Methodist  hospitality,  and  maintained  its  enviable 
reputation  to  the  last.  No  preachers'  home  is  more 
frequently  mentioned  in  our  early  literature.  In  the 
week  before  the  memorable  "  Christmas  Conference  " 
of  1784  it  sheltered  Asbury,  Coke,  Whatcoat,  Yasey, 
Black  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  other  eminent  men,  who 
prepared  there  the  business  of  the  conference.  The 
constitutional  organization  of  American  Methodism 
may  be  said  to  have  been  constructed  under  its  roof. 

Asbury's  usefulness  in  the  Baltimore  Circuit  in 
1775  had  permanently  important  results.  He  gath- 


236  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

ered  into  the  young  societies  not  a  few  of  those 
influential  families  whose  opulence  and  social  posi- 
tion gave  material  strength  to  Methodism  through 
much  of  its  early  history  in  that  city,  while  their 
exemplary  devotion  helped  to  maintain  its  primitive 
purity  and  power.  Henry  Dorsey  Gough  and  his 
family  were  distinguished  examples.  Gough  pos- 
sessed a  fortune  in  lands  and  money  amounting  to 
more  than  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  had 
married  a  daughter  of  Governor  Ridgeley.  His 
country  residence — Perry  Hall,  about  twelve  miles 
from  the  city — was  "one  of  the  most  spacious  and 
elegant  in  America  at  that  time."  But  he  was  an 
unhappy  man  in  the  midst  of  his  luxury.  His  wife  had 
been  deeply  impressed  by  the  Methodist  preaching, 
but  he  forbade  her  to  hear  it  again.  While  he  was 
reveling  with  wine  and  gay  companions  one  evening, 
it  was  proposed  that  they  should  divert  themselves 
by  going  together  to  a  Methodist  assembly.  Asbury 
was  the  preacher,  and  no  godless  diversion  could  be 
found  in  his  presence.  "  What  nonsense,"  exclaimed 
one  of  the  convivialists,  as  they  returned,  "what 
nonsense  have  we  heard  to-night ! "  "  No,"  replied 
Gough,  startling  them  with  sudden  surprise ;  "  no, 
what  we  have  heard  is  the  truth,  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus."  "  I  will  never  hinder  you  again  from  hear- 
ing the  Methodists,"  he  said  as  he  entered  his  house 
and  met  his  wife.  The  impression  of  the  sermon 


PRUDENCE  GOUGH.  237 

was  so  profound  that  lie  could  no  longer  enjoy  his 
accustomed  pleasures.  He  became  deeply  serious, 
and,  at  last,  melancholy,  "  and  was  near  destroying 
himself"  under  the  awakened  sense  of  his  misspent 
life ;  but  God  mercifully  preserved  him.  Biding  to 
one  of  his  plantations,  he  heard  the  voice  of  prayer 
and  praise  in  a  cabin,  and,  listening,  discovered  that 
a  negro  from  a  neighboring  estate  was  leading  the 
devotions  of  his  own  slaves,  and  offering  fervent 
thanksgivings  for  the  blessings  of  their  depressed 
lot.  His  heart  was  touched,  and  with  emotion  he 
exclaimed,  "  Alas,  O  Lord !  I  have  my  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands,  and  yet,  ungrateful  wretch 
that  I  am,  I  never  thanked  thee,  as  this  poor  slave 
does,  who  has  scarcely  clothes  to  put  on,  or  food  to 
satisfy  his  hunger."  The  luxurious  master  was 
taught  a  lesson,  on  the  nature  of  true  contentment 
and  happiness,  which  he  could  never  forget.  His 
work-worn  servants  in  their  lowly  cabins  knew  a 
blessedness  which  he  had  never  found  in  his  sump- 
tuous mansion.  He  returned  home,  pondering  the 
mystery,  with  a  distressed  and  contrite  heart.  He 
retired  from  his  table,  which  was  surrounded  by  a 
large  company  of  his  friends,  and  threw  himself  upon 
his  knees  in  a  chamber.  While  there,  imploring  the 
mercy  of  God,  he  received  conscious  pardon  and 
peace.  In  a  transport  of  joy  he  went  to  his  com- 
pany, exclaiming,  "I  have  found  the  Methodists' 


288  WOMEN    OF    METHODISM. 

blessing,  I  have  found  the  Methodists'  God  !  "  Both 
he  and  his  wife  now  became  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Society,  and  Perry  Hall  was  henceforth  the 
chief  asylum  of  the  itinerants  in  the  Middle  States, 
and  a  "preaching  place."  Rankm  visited  it  the 
next  year,  and  says:  "I  spent  a  most  agreeable 
evening  with  them.  A  numerous  family  of  servants 
were  called  in  for  exhortation  and  prayer,  so  that, 
with  them  and  the  rest  of  the  house,  we  had  a  little 
congregation.  The  Lord  was  in  the  midst,  and  we 
praised  him  with  joyful  lips.  The  simplicity  of 
spirit  discovered  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gough  was  truly 
pleasing.  At  every  opportunity  he  was  declaring 
what  the  Lord  had  done  for  his  soul ;  still  wondering 
at  the  matchless  love  of  Jesus,  who  had  plucked  him 
as  a  brand  from  the  burning." 

The  wealthy  converts  erected  a  chapel  contiguous 
to  Perry  Hall ;  the  first  American  Methodist  church 
that  had  a  bell,  and  it  rang  every  morning  and 
evening,  summoning  their  numerous  household  and 
slaves  to  family  worship.  They  made  a  congrega- 
tion ;  for  the  establishment  comprised  a  hundred 
persons.  The  circuit  preachers  supplied  it  twice  a 
month,  and  local  preachers  every  Sunday.  After 
some  years  of  steadfast  piety  this  liberal  man  yielded 
to  the  strong  temptations  of  his  social  position,  and 
fell  away  from  his  humbler  brethren.  But  his  ex- 
cellent wife  maintained  her  integrity,  and  her  fidelity 


PRUDENCE   GOUGH.  239 

•was  rewarded  by  his  restoration.  Under  the  labors 
of  Asbury,  his  "  spiritual  father,"  he  was  reclaimed 
in  1800,  and  applied  for  readmission  to  the  Church 
in  the  Light-street  Chapel,  Baltimore.  "When  the 
pastor  put  the  question  of  his  reception  to  vote,  the 
whole  assembly  rose,  and  with  tears  and  prayers 
welcomed  him  again.  His  zeal  was  renewed,  his 
devotion  steadfast,  and  the  family  built  another 
chapel  for  the  Methodists  in  a  poor  neighborhood. 
Their  charities  were  large,  and  they  were  ever  ready 
to  minister,  with  both  their  means  and  Christian 
sympathies,  to  the  afflicted  within  or  without  the 
pale  of  their  Church.  After  his  reclamation  he 
exclaimed,  "  O  if  my  wife  had  ever  given  way  to 
the  world  I  should  have  been  lost ;  but  her  uniformly 
good  life  inspired  me  with  the  hope  that  I  should 
one  day  be  restored  to  the  favor  of  God."  He 
preached  at  times,  and,  during  the  agitations  of  the 
Revolution,  was  brought  before  the  magistrates  for 
his  public  labors.  He  died  in  1808,  while  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  of  his  Church  was  in  session  in  Bal- 
timore. Asbury,  who  had  twice  led  him  to  the  cross, 
was  present  to  comfort  him  in  his  final  trial,  and 
says:  "In  his  last  hours,  which  were  painfully  af- 
flictive, he  was  much  given  up  to  God.  When  the 
corpse  was  removed,  to  be  taken  into  the  country 
for  interment,  many  of  the  members  of  the  General 
Conference  walked  in  procession  after  it  to  the  end 


240  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

of  the  town."  The  bishop  describes  him  as  "  a  man 
much  respected  and  beloved  ;  as  a  husband,  a  father, 
and  a  master,  well  worthy  of  imitation  ;  his  charities 
were  as  numerous  as  proper  objects  to  a  Christian 
were  likely  to  make  them  ;  and  the  souls  and  bodies 
of  the  poor  were  administered  to  in  the  manner  of  a 
Christian  who  remembered  the  precepts  and  followed 
the  example  of  his  divine  Master." 

"  Perry  Hall,"  says  the  Methodist  chronicler,  "  was 
the  resort  of  much  company,  among  whom  the 
skeptic  and  the  Romanist  were  sometimes  found. 
Members  of  the  Baltimore  bar,  the  elite  of  Maryland, 
were  there.  But  it  mattered  not  who  were  there ; 
when  the  bell  rang  for  family  devotion  they  were 
seen  in  the  chapel,  and  if  there  was  no  male  person 
present  who  could  lead  the  devotions,  Mrs.  Gough 
read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  gave  out  a  hymn,  which 
was  often  raised  and  sung  by  the  colored  servants, 
after  which  she  would  engage  in  prayer.  Take  her 
altogether,  few  such  have  been  found  on  earth."* 
Asbury  called  her  a  "  true  daughter"  to  himself,  and 
Coke,  "  a  precious  woman  of  fine  sense."  "  Her  only 
sister  became  a  Methodist  about  the  same  time  that 
she  did ;  they  continued  faithful  to  a  good  old  age, 
when  they  were  called  to  take  a  higher  seat.  Most 
of  her  relations  followed  her  example  of  piety. 
Many  of  them  were  Methodists  cast  in  the  old  die. 
Lednum,  chap.  23. 


PRUDENCE   GOUGH.  241 

Methodism  still  continues  in  this  distinguished 
family."  Its  only  daughter  became,  under  her 
parental  training,  a  devoted  Methodist.  Her  mar- 
riage into  the  Carroll  family,  memorable  in  our 
Revolutionary  history,  did  not  impair,  but  extended 
her  religious  influence. 

This  devout  and  liberal  family  has  long  been  his- 
torical in  our  Church  annals.  The  early  books  of 
Methodism  make  frequent  reference  to  it,  and  its 
services  to  the  denomination.  Asbury's  Journals 
have  rendered  its  name  familiar.  A  veteran  itiner- 
ant, Rev.  Henry  Smith,  of  "Pilgrim's  Rest,"  who 
lingered  till  he  became  the  oldest  living  Methodist 
preacher,  has  drawn  the  picture  of  the  Christian 
hospitalities  of  Perry  Hall,  remarking:  "We  were 
received  in  their  usual  warm  and  affectionate  way, 
and  I  was  for  the  first  time  introduced  to  that  dear 
household.  I  soon  found  that  religion  in  its  native 
simplicity  dwelt  in  some  great  houses,  and  that  some 
of  the  rich  had  been  cast  in  the  Gospel  mould,  and 
came  out  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  their  Lord. 
Perry  Hall  was  the  largest  dwelling-house  I  had  ever 
seen,  and  all  its  arrangements,  within  and  without, 
were  tasteful  and  elegant,  yet  simplicity  and  utility 
seemed  to  be  stamped  upon  the  whole.  The  garden, 
orchards,  and  everything  else,  were  delightful  indeed, 
and  looked  to  me  like  an  earthly  paradise.  But, 

what  pleased  me  better  than  anything  else,  I  found 

16 


242  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

a  neat  chapel  attached  to  the  house,  with  a  small 
cupola  and  bell,  that  could  be  heard  all  over  the 
farm.  In  this  chapel  morning  and  evening  prayers 
were  offered  to  God.  The  bell  rang  about  half  an 
hour  before  prayer,  when  the  manager  and  servants 
from  the  farm-house,  and  servants'  quarters,  and 
garden,  together  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  great 
mansion,  repaired  to  the  chapel.  So  large  and 
well-regulated  a  family  I  never  saw  before.  All 
seemed  to  know  their  place  and  duty.  For  some 
reasons  we  had  prayers  in  the  parlor  that  night,  and 
it  was  a  solemn  time.  When  we  rose  from  our 
knees  all  took  their  seats  and  were  silent.  I  was  led 
to  talk  a  little  of  the  excellence  of  religion,  and  the 
beauty  of  holiness.  All  were  attentive,  and  some 
wept;  I  believe  Mr.  Gough  was  in  tears.  After  I 
was  done  he  came  to  me,  and  took  my  hand  in  both 
his,  and  expressed  himself  pleased ;  and  from  that 
hour  I  felt  myself  at  home  at  Perry  Hall." 

When  the  itinerant  chiefs  met  there  in  1784  to 
prepare  for  the  organization  of  the  Church,  Coke 
described  Perry  Hall  as  "  the  most  elegant  house  in 
this  state."  "  Here,"  he  adds,  "  I  have  a  noble  room 
to  myself,  where  Mr.  Asbury  and  I  may,  in  the 
course  of  a  week,  mature  everything  for  the  con- 
ference." Black  alludes  to  it  as  "  the  most  spacious 
and  elegant  building  "  he  had  seen  in  America.  "  It 
is,"  he.  says,  "about  fifteen  miles  from  Baltimore; 


PRUDENCE   GOUGH.  243 

Mr.  Gough,  its  owner,  is  a  Methodist,  and  supposed 
to  be  worth  one  hundred  thousand  pounds.  He  is 
not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  He  has  built 
a  neat  stone  meeting-house,  entertains  the  circuit 
preachers,  and  at  times  preaches  himself;  and  thus 
he  continued  to  do  during  the  late  war,  at  the  risk 
of  his  immense  estate." 

Asbury's  allusions  to  Perry  Hall  are  brief  but 
abundant.  He  seems  hardly  ever  to  have  passed 
through  Baltimore  without  turning  aside  to  this 
favorite  retreat.  His  devoted  hosts  were  among  his 
dearest  friends,  and  their  absence  at  any  time  was 
felt  by  him  as  a  painful  bereavement.  In  1800  he 
writes :  "  We  came  with  difficulties  to  Perry  Hall ; 
but  the  greatest  trouble  of  all  was  that  the  elders 
of  the  house  were  not  at  home.  The  walls,  the 
rooms  no  longer  vocal,  all  to  me  appeared  hung  in 
sackcloth.  I  see  not  the  pleasant  countenances,  nor 
hear  the  cheerful  voices  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gough ! 
She  is  in  ill  health,  and  writes,  '  I  have  left  home, 
perhaps  never  to  return.'  This  intelligence  made 
me  melancholy.  Mrs.-  Gough  hath  been  my  faithful 
daughter." 

Their  only  child,  Sophia,  "  was  raised,"  says  Led- 
num,  "  after  the  most  religious  order.  It  was  a  rule 
of  Mrs.  Gough  not  to  allow  her  daughter  to  go  into 
any  company  where  she  could  not  go  with  her,  nor 
to  join  in  any  amusements  that  the  pious  mother 


244  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

could  not,  with  a  good  conscience,  join  in.  What 
was  very  remarkable,  this  well  raised  young  lady  was 
converted  at  her  piano  while  singing,  '  Come,  thou 
Fount  of  every  blessing.'  She  bore  the  joyful  news 
to  her  parents.  The  mother  wept  for  joy,  and  the 
father  shouted  aloud.*  This  young  lady  was  mar- 
ried to  James  Carroll,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  many 
excellences,  as  well  as  of  much  wealth.  Methodism 
still  remains  in  this  distinguished  family.  The  Rev. 
Thomas  B.  Sargent  of  the  Baltimore  Conference  was 
married  to  the  great-granddaughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gough.  She,  and  her  mother  and  aunt,  as  well  as 
her  grandmother  and  great-grandmother,  are  ranked 
among  true-hearted  Methodists." 

The  venerable  Henry  Smith  says  of  Prudence 
Gough :  "  I  saw  her  a  few  days  before  her  death. 
She  was  not  in  triumph,  yet  humbly  and  confidently 
waiting  till  her  change  came.  Betsey  Cassell,  a 
preacher's  widow,  her  faithful  companion,  was  with 
her  to  the  last.  Some  people  marveled  that  she  did 
not  leave  the  world  shouting  ;  but  it  never  staggered 
me  in  the  least,  for  she  was  not  of  that  cast  of  mind. 

*  There  is  lying  on  the  desk  of  the  author,  as  he  writes,  a  manu- 
script letter  from  Mr.  Gough  to  Rev.  Freeborn  Garrettson,.  written 
apparently  about  the  time  of  the  conversion  of  his  child,  in  which  ho 
says,  "I  am,  through  unbounded  mercy,  filled  with  the  love  of  God, 
and  Sophy,  my  dear  Sophy,  whom  you  call  the  child  of  my  affection, 
has  a  living  faith  ha  Christ ;  in  short,  Perry  Hall  is  like  a  little  heaven 
below." 


PEUDENCE   GOUGH.  245 

Tliose  who  are  created  anew  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
live  right,  are  sure  to  die  safe,  no  matter  whether 
their  sun  sets  fair  or  under  a  cloud.  She  was  bold 
and  zealous  in  the  cause  of  God,  yet  humble  and 
unassuming.  I  frequently  heard  her  say,  'I  have 
much  severity  in  my  nature.'  -  That  might  have 
been  so,  but  it  was  seasoned  by  grace.  She  seemed 
to  have  little  patience  with  professors  of  religion 
who  appeared  to  be  ashamed  of  their  religion  before 
the  people  of  the  world.  She  never  prayed  in  public 
till  after  Mr.  Gough's  death.  But  when  she  could 
get  no  one  to  pray  with  her  large  family,  she  took 
up  the  cross,  read  a  chapter,  and  gave  out  a  hymn, 
which  was  sung,  (for  she  could  not  sing  herself,)  and 
prayed,  and  so  led  the  worship  of  God  in  her  family, 
no  matter  who  was  present.  She  was  a  woman  of 
firmness,  uncommon  fortitude,  and  moral  courage. 
Taking  Mrs.  Gough  for  all  and  all,  she  certainly  was 
a  Christian  of  a  high  grade.  Always  plain  in  dress ; 
plain,  yet  dignified,  in  her  manners ;  a  decided 
Methodist,  but  a  lover  of  good  people  of  every 
denomination,  she  set  an  example  worthy  of  imita- 
tion. To  me  she  was  like  a  mother  for  many  years, 
and  I  think  myself  honored  to  be  permitted  to  recall 
and  record  her  example."  Dr.  Bond,  late  editor  of 
the  Christian  Advocate,  who  knew  her  well,  says: 
"  Mrs.  Gough  survived  her  husband  for  several  years, 
and  still  resided  at  Perry  Hall  during  the  summer 


24:6  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

seasons.  During  the  whole  of  her  widowhood  she 
still  held  the  family  devotions  in  the  chapel.  O  she 
was  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no  guile ! 
All,  all  she  had,  her  fortune,  'her  soul  and  body's 
powers,'  were  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God." 

Asbury  records  the  names  of  many  other  "elect 
ladies  "  who  were  his  intimate  associates  in  the  early 
struggles  of  Methodism  in  and  about  Baltimore,  but 
though  their  names  may  well  be  forever  preserved  in 
his  journal,  and  sanctified  in  the  memory  of  the 
Church  by  his  occasional  and  affectionate  allusions, 
time  has  obscured  them  with  an  oblivion  through 
which  they  can  be  seen  only  as  the  stars  shine 
through  the  darkness  of  night,  dim  and  distant. 
Our  chroniclers  have  not  failed,  however,  to  cite 
them.  "  There  was,"  says  Lednum,  "  a  MRS.  MOORE, 
who  had  a  short  but  brilliant  career  among  the 
Methodists.  Some  two  weeks  before  her  death  she 
was  so  filled  with  the  pure  and  perfect  love  of  God, 
that  henceforth  her  words  were  clothed  with  divine 
power,  and  melted  the  hearts  of  all  that  visited 
her.  She  was  like  a  living  flame,  longing  to  be 
dissolved  and  be  with  Christ.  Just  before  she 
expired  she  said,  '  I  am  just  now  going ;  I  cannot 
stay ;  farewell !  farewell !  farewell ! '  and  without  a 
sigh  or  groan,  expired.  Her  death  was  improved  by 
a  discourse  from  George  Shadford.  Samuel  Owings 


RACHEL   HULINGS.  247 

was  a  spiritual  son  of  Mr.  Asbury,  and  a  leading 
man  in  the  beginning.  His  first  wife  had  been  a 
member  of  the  German  Reformed  Church,  where 
she  earnestly  sought  the  comfort  of  religion  until  she 
obtained  it.  On  telling  her  minister  of  her  enjoy- 
ments, he  thought  her  beside  herself;  but  when  she 
heard  the  Methodists  she  at  once  found  out  that  her 
experience  was  identical  with  theirs.  She  united 
with  them,  and  was  one  of  the  early  female  class- 
leaders  in  Baltimore.  Mrs.  TRIPLETT  was  the  second 
person  who  opened  her  house  for  preaching.  As 
Bishop  Asbury  performed  the  funeral  solemnities  of 
this  '  dear  old  friend '  of  his  in  1791  in  Baltimore, 
we  must  conclude  that  she  left  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  (though  we  have  not  seen  it 
explicitly  declared,)  and  was  one  of  the  early  and 
zealous  advocates  of  Methodism.  RACHEL  HULINGS 
appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  useful  females 
in  Baltimore  at  that  early  day.  After  Asbury  had 
spent  his  first  Sabbath  in  the  town,  we  learn  from 
his  journal  that  she,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Rogers 
and  the  Widow  White,  accompanied  him  to  1ST. 
Perrigau's,  where  he  preached  to  a  large  number  of 
people.  Thence  to  William  Lynch's,  to  whom  he 
was  introduced  by  Mrs.  Hulings.  In  a  subsequent 
part  of  his  journal  we  find  her,  in  company  with  Mr. 
Asbury,  visiting  the  friends  at  New  Mills,  in  New 
Jersey.  It  appears  that  she  traveled  about  extens- 


248  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

ively,  aiding  the  good  work.  Among  Mr.  Asbury's 
early  and  valued  friends  in  Baltimore  was  a  Mrs. 
CHAMIER.  This  friend  and  supporter  of  Methodism 
•went  to  Abraham's  bosom  in  1785.  Bishop  Asbury 
officiated  at  her  interment,  preaching  to  a  thousand 
persons.  Mrs.  MARTHA  F.  ALLISON  joined  the  Meth- 
odists in  1Y70 ;  but  as  it  seems  there  was  no  society  in 
Baltimore  so  early,  we  suppose  she  was  a  member  at 
first  somewhere  else.  She  was,  however,  for  several 
years  a  class-leader  among  them  in  Baltimore.  In  1797 
Bishop  Asbury  preached  her  funeral  sermon.  She 
was  a  woman  of  good  sense,  and  equally  good  piety" 

ELEANOR  DORSET,  wife  of  Judge  Dorsey,  was  a 
heroine  of  the  Church  of  those  early  times,  and  one 
of  the  friends  of  Asbury,  her  house  being  his  home, 
and  the  shelter  of  many  other  itinerants.  The 
family  moved  as  early  as  1801  to  Lyons,  !N".  Y., 
where  she  died,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  leaving 
a  fragrant  memory  in  the  Church.  "  Her  Christian 
life,"  says  one  who  well  knew  her,*  "  had  been  such 
that  her  hope  grew  brighter  under  great  trials  and 
afflictions.  She  possessed  a  strong  mind,  well  stored 
with  useful  knowledge,  and  a  faculty  to  communi- 
cate her  knowledge  to  others.  She  had  made  herself 
acquainted  with  the  peculiarities  of  Methodism,  and 
one  would  suppose  by  conversing  with  her  that  she 

*  Rev.  Thomas  Carlton,  D.D.,  of  the  Methodist  Book  Concern. 


ELEANOR  DORSET.  249 

had  'a  perfect  history  of  the  Church  to  which  she 
belonged.  While  she  lived  in  Maryland  she  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  several  of  the  first  Methodist 
ministers.  Asbury  was  a  warm  friend  to  the  family. 
Her  house  was  a  home  for  the  preachers  from  the 
time  she  became  a  member  of  the  Church ;  and 
when  a  preacher  called  on  her,  he  was  favored  with 
a  warm  reception,  and  hailed  with  a  smile.  The 
Genesee  Annual  Conference  held  its  sessions  no  less 
than  three  times  at  her  house,  and  she  has  been 
known  to  entertain  thirty  preachers  during  its 
session.  The  first  conference  held  in  Western  New 
York  was  in  her  dwelling,  in  the  year  1810.  She 
taught  her  children,  while  they  were  in  early  life, 
the  principles  of  our  holy  religion,  and  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  them  all  happily  converted  to 
God.  When  informed  by  her  physician  that  she 
could  survive  but  a  short  time,  such  was  her  uncom- 
mon strength  of  mind  and  confidence  in  the  God  of 
all  grace,  that,  without  the  least  embarrassment  or 
excitement,  she  arranged  all  her  temporal  affairs, 
made  choice  of  the  minister  to  preach  her  funeral 
Bermon,  and  selected  for  a  text  Rev.  xiv,  13.  She 
then  addressed  herself  to  all  who  were  present  in  a 
plain  but  friendly  and  affectionate  manner,  and 
closed  her  remarks  by  saying :  '  This  is  the  brightest, 
the  happiest  day  I  ever  saw :  I  thank  the  Lord,  now 
I  know  that  the  religion  I  have  professed  for  so  many 


250  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

years  is  no  fiction.  No,  bless  the  Lord,  it  makes  me 
happy  in  this  trying  hour.  My  work  is  done,  my  sky 
is  clear.  Glory  to  God  !  Jesus  died  for  me  1 " 

A  Methodist  preacher,  Rev.  Thomas  Smith,  relates 
a  striking  example  of  the  courageous  manner  in 
which  these  early  Methodist  women,  as  well  as  men, 
•oressed  forward  their  cause.  He  says:  "My  next 
appointment  was  at  Lyons,  N.  Y.,  where  I  preached 
in  the  evening.  Here  we  had  a  respectable  society, 
and  a  small  meeting-house.  But  the  people  of  Lyons 
were  generally  wicked.  They  took  pleasure  in  un- 
righteousness, in  deriding  the  ways  of  God,  and  in 
persecuting  the  humble  followers  of  Jesus  Christ. 
They  interrupted  and  insulted  us  in  our  religious 
worship,  and  on  this  evening  they  were  worse  than 
usual.  I  paused  until  I  got  their  attention,  and  then 
remarked  that  I  should  not  wonder  if  Lyons  should 
be  visited  on  the  morrow  in  a  way  that  it  never  had 
been  before,  and  perhaps  never  would  be  again  to 
the  end  of  time.  We  then  had  quietness  till  the 
close  of  the  meeting.  When  the  congregation  was 
dismissed,  and  I  had  come  out  of  the  house,  the 
people  gathered  round  me,  and  with  one  voice  cried 
out,  '  For  God's  sake,  tell  us  what  is  to  happen  here 
to-morrow  ? '  I  replied,  '  Let  to-morrow  speak  for 
itself.'  I  went  home  with  Brother  D.  Dorsey,  a 
short  distance  from  the  town.  The  next  day  after 
breakfast  I  said  to  Sister  Dorsey,  '  I  wish  you  to  go 


ELEANOR  DORSEY.  251 

with  me  into  Lyons  this  morning,  as  there  are  some 
families  to  which  I  cannot  get  access  without  you. 
She,  being  acquainted  with  the  place,  readily  con- 
sented. At  nine  o'clock  A.  M.  we  entered  the  town. 
Scores  from  the  country  were  already  there,  and  the 
place  was  in  commotion.  We  went  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  A.,  where  we  were  politely  received.  I  knew  if 
we  could  storm  THAT  castle  the  day  was  ours.  After 
conversing  some  time,  I  remarked  that  Mrs.  Dorsey 
and  myself  were  on  a  visit  to  Lyons,  and  if  it  were 
agreeable  we  would  pray  before  we  parted.  '  By  all 
means,  by  all  means,'  was  the  reply.  Before  prayer 
was  over  there  were  scores  of  people  at  the  door,  and 
by  that  time  the  order  of  the  day  began  to  be  under- 
stood ;  and  they  that  feared  Grod  were  at  their  posts, 
coming  up  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the 
mighty.  We  then  went  in  large  procession  from 
house  to  house,  entering  every  door  in  order,  and 
praying  for  the  souls  of  the  families.  When  we 
came  near  the  tavern,  where  we  had  been  so  derided, 
it  was  inquired,  'Will  they  admit  us?'  But  the 
doors  and  windows  being  open  we  entered,  and  was 
there  ever  such  a  shout  while  storming  Lucifer's 
castle?  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  came 
to  a  halt  to  see  what  was  done,  and  forming  a  circle 
on  the  green,  the  new  converts  were  invited  within 
the  circle,  when  thirty-two  came  in  who  had  that 
day  found  the  pearl  of  great  price,  Christ  in  them 


252  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

the  hope   of  glory.      These  thirty-two,   and   eight 


afternoon.  Thanks  be  to  God,  this  was  another 
good  day's  work  in  the  Lord's  vineyard.  These 
meetings  produced  a  pleasing  change  in  Lyons,  and 
Methodism  gained  a  footing  in  that  place  it  never 
had  before.  To  God  be  all  the  glory."  * 

Asbury  found  one  of  his  best  female  friends  and 
wayside  homes,  where  he  most  needed  and  most 
prized  them,  among  the  rugged  mountains  of  the 
Holston  country,  when,  in  the  last  century,  he  used 
to  climb  those  heights,  sometimes  guarded  by  con- 
voys of  armed  men  to  protect  him  from  the  Indians, 
for  the  Methodist  pioneer  itinerants  kept  pace  with 
the  movement  of  early  emigration.  The  most 
romantic  passages  of  his  journals  are  his  brief 
records  of  his  adventures  among  the  Alleghanies, 
and  often  at  the  close  of  weary  days  does  he  write 
in  log-cabins  that  so  many  miles  yet  remain  before 
he  can  reach  "  General  Russell's,"  his  longed-for 
resting-place.  The  first  Methodist  conference  be- 
yond the  Alleghanies  is  usually  supposed  to  have 
been  held  at  TJniontown,  Pa.,  on  the  22d  of  July, 
1788 ;  but  a  session  was  held  in  the  Holston  country 
as  early  as  the  second  week  of  the  previous  May. 
Rev.  Thomas  "Ware,  who  was  present,  gives  some 

*  Smith's  Memoirs. 


MRS.   RUSSELL.  253 

information  of  the  memorable  occasion,  including 
interesting  references  to  the  RUSSELL  family.  "As 
the  road  by  which  Bishop  Asbury  was  to  come  was," 
he  says,  "  infested  with  hostile  savages,  so  that  it 
could  not  be  traveled  except  by  considerable  com- 
panies, he  was  detained  for  a  week  after  the  time 
appointed  to  commence  the  session.  But  we  were  not 
idle ;  and  the  Lord  gave  us  many  souls  in  the  place 
where  we  were  assembled,  among  whom  were  Gen- 
eral Russell  and  lady,  the  latter  a  sister  of  the  illus- 
trious Patrick  Henry.  I  mention  these  particularly, 
because  they  were  the  first-fruits  of  our  labors  at 
this  Conference.  .  On  the  Sabbath  we  had  a  crowded 
audience,  and  Tunnell  preached  an  excellent  sermon, 
which  produced  great  effect.  His  discourse  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  number  of  powerful  exhortations.  When 
the  meeting  closed,  Mrs.  Russell  came  to  me  and 
said,  (  I  thought  I  was  a  Christian ;  but,  sir,  I  am 
not  a  Christian — I  am  the  veriest  sinner  upon  earth. 
I  want  you  and  Mr.  Mastin  to  come  with  Mr.  Tun- 
nell to  our  house  and  pray  for  us,  and  tell  us  what 
we  must  do  to  be  saved."  So  we  went,  and  spent 
much  of  the  afternoon  in  prayer,  especially  for  Mrs. 
Russell.  But  she  did  not  obtain  comfort.  Being 
much  exhausted,  the  preachers  retired  to  a  pleasant 
grove,  near  at  hand,  to  spend  a  short  time.  On  re- 
turning to  the  house  we  found  Mrs.  Russell  praising 
the  Lord,  and  the  General  walking  the  floor  and 


254  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

weeping  bitterly.  He  had  been  reading  to  her  one 
of  Fletcher's  works.  At  length  he  sat  down  quite 
exhausted.  This  scene  was  in  a  high  degree  inter- 
esting to  us.  To  see  the  old  soldier  and  statesman, 
the  proud  opposer  of  godliness,  trembling,  and  earn- 
estly inquiring  what  he  must  do  to  be  saved,  was  an 
affecting  sight.  But  the  work  ended  not  here.  The 
conversion  of  Mrs.  Russell,  whose  zeal,  good  sense, 
and  amiableness  of  character  were  proverbial,  to- 
gether with  the  penitential  grief  so  conspicuous  in 
the  General,  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of 
many,  and  numbers  were  brought  in  before  the  Con- 
ference closed.  The  General  rested  not  until  he 
knew  his  adoption ;  and  he  continued  a  faithful  and 
an  official  member  of  the  Church,  constantly  adorn- 
ing the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour  unto  the  end  of 
his  life."  No  name  is  recorded,  in  the  biographies  of 
the  pioneer  itinerants  among  these  mountains,  with 
more  grateful  affection  than  that  of  General  Russell. 
His  house  was  long  their  refuge,  and  Asbury  always 
entered  it  with  delight. 

Asbury  speaks  of  them,  in  1T88,  as  "  a  most  kind 
family  in  deed  and  truth."  In  1792  he  writes :  "  I 
came  to  Sister  Russell's;  I  am  very  solemn.  I  feel 
the  want  of  the  dear  man  who,  I  trust,  is  now  in 
Abraham's  bosom,  and  hope  ere  long  to  see  him 
there.  He  was  a  general  officer  in  the  continental 
army,  where  he  underwent  great  fatigue:  he  was 


MRS.   RUSSELL.  255 

powerfully  brought  to  God,  and  for  a  few  years 
past  was  a  living  flame,  and  a  blessing  to  his  neigh- 
borhood. He  went  in  the  dead  of  winter  on  a  visit 
to  his  friends,  was  seized  with  an  influenza,  and  ended 
his  life  from  home  :  O  that  the  Gospel  may  continue 
in  this  house !  I  preached  on  Heb.  xii,  1-4,  and 
there  followed  several  exhortations.  "We  then  ad- 
ministered the  sacrament,  and  there  was  weeping 
and  shouting  among  the  people :  our  exercises  lasted 
about  five  hours." 

Such  scenes  often  occurred  there,  for  Mrs.  Russell 
kept  her  mansion  always  open,  not  only  for  the 
shelter  of  the  wayworn  itinerants,  but  as  a  sanc- 
tuary for  the  mountaineer  settlers  who  flocked  thither 
from  miles  around  to  hear  the  Gospel.  Her  home 
was  a  light-house  shining  afar  among  the  Alle- 
ghanies. 


256  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 


CHAPTER  III. 

LATER  WOMEN  OF  AMERICAN  METHODISM. 

Review — Catharine  Livingston,  Mrs.  Garrettson  —  The  Connecting 
Link  between  the  early  and  late  Women  of  Methodist  History — 
The  Garrettson  Homestead  —  Its  Scenery — Freeborn  Garrettson  — 
Catharine  Garrettson's  Social  Position  —  Sketch  of  her  Life  — 
President  Olin's  Estimate  of  her  Character — The  "House  Warm- 
ing"—  "Traveler's  Rest" — Asbury  resting  there  —  Its  Relics  — 
Asbury  among  the  Livingstons  —  Death  of  Madame  Livingston  — 
Catharine  Suckley — Her  Character  and  Death  —  Relics  of  Asbury 
—  Ann  Wilkins,  a  tj-pe  of  Female  Missionary  Character  —  Her 
Life — Her  Self-sacrifice  —  Her  Blessed  Death  —  Eliza  Garrett,  a 
Model  of  Female  Liberality  —  The  Garrett  Biblical  Institute. 

IN  accordance  with  the  immediate  (though  not  the 
ultimate)  design  of  this  volume,  as  a  contribution  to 
the  centenary  commemoration  of  the  founding  of 
Methodism,  the  characters  thus  far  sketched  have 
been  selected  from  the  Methodist  women  of  the  last 
century — the  associates,  correspondents,  or  colaborers 
of  Wesley,  Whitefield,  and  Asbury,  representing  re- 
spectively the  threefold  form  of  the  "great  move- 
ment," Wesleyan,  Calvinistic,  and  American.  It  is 
desirable  we  should  come  nearer  our  own  age  as  we 
draw  toward  the  close  of  the  record,  not  that  we  have 
not  intimate  sympathy  and  ties  with  those  great  and 
stirring  times,  for  what  is  most  precious  in  the  Church 


CATHARINE    fiAUKKTTSoX.  257 

to  us  is  our  heritage  from  them  ;  not  that  their  exam- 
ples present  not  most  relevant  lessons  to  the  modern 
women  of  Methodism,  for  what  is  more  instructive 
than  character,  and  where  can  we  find  better  models 
of  character  than  these  ?  And  their  modes  of  activity 
and  usefulness  are  as  appropriate  in  our  day  as  they 
were  in  theirs,  and  perhaps  need  special  enforcement 
at  this  period  of  our  history  by  their  reproduction  as 
examples.  But  it  is  expedient  that  the  interval  be- 
tween their  period  and  ours  should  be  somewhat 
bridged  over,  and  that  some  names,  appealing  more 
directly  to  our  modern  life  and  sympathies,  should 
close  the  record. 

For  such  a  design  we  cannot  better  introduce  our 
last  chapter  than  with  the  name  of  a  lady  whose  pro- 
longed life  has  connected  both  periods ;  who,  moving 
in  the  highest  circles  of  our  national  society,  has 
illustrated  also  the  best  virtues  of  our  denomina- 
tional life ;  whose  maiden  name  is  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the  Republic,  while  her 
matron  name  is  one  of  the  most  historic  in  the  Church ; 
Catharine  Livingston,  later  CATHARINE  GAKRETTSON, 
one  of  the  best  regarded  friends  of  Asbury,  and  the 
wife  of  a  man  who  was  a  chief  founder  of  Methodism 
from  Nova  Scotia  to  North  Carolina. 

The  Garrettson  Homestead  at  Rhinebeck,  New 
York,  is  an  historic  edifice  of  the  Church.  Many  an 

old  Methodist,  as  he  journeys  near  it,  still  resorts 

17 


258  WOMEN  or  METHODISM. 

thither  as  on  a  devout  pilgrimage.  To  its  Method- 
istic  associations  are  superadded  the  charms  of  land- 
scape prospects  not  often  surpassed  even  on  the 
Hudson.  The  mansion  is  situated  some  three  miles 
from  the  village,  on  high  land  overlooking  the  river, 
and  commanding  an  extended  view  of  its  banks  to 
the  south.  One  can  sit  at  the  windows  of  its  parlor 
or  library,  or  on  rustic  seats,  under  aged  trees,  that 
dot  the  lawn-like  sward,  which  extends  from  the 
house  down  to  the  shore,  and  notice  the  steamers 
and  small  sail  that  glide  up  and  down  the  stream, 
the  shadows  of  the  clouds  as  they  move  over  the 
waters,  and  the  landscapes  of  the  opposite  bank, 
with  the  lofty  background  of  the  distant  Catskill. 
The  river  curves  gracefully  in  the  midst  of  the  fine 
picture,  and  is  the  chief  feature  in  this  most  beauti- 
ful scenery.  Few  sights  can  be  more  lovely  and 
tranquilizing  than  the  view  at  the  close  of  the  day, 
when  the  oblique  and  subdued  rays  of  the  sun  suffuse 
the  atmosphere  with  their  mellow  light,  and  gild  the 
hill-tops  and  the  clouds.  The  spectator  can  com- 
prehend how  the  good  old  saint,  who  pitched  here 
the  tent  of  his  last  sojourn  on  earth,  used  to  feel 
when,  as  is  reported,  he  was  wont  to  seat  himself 
in  his  chair  beneath  the  trees,  and  praise  God 
audibly  as  he  gazed  on  the  enchanting  prospect, 
reminding  himself  meanwhile  of  "those  high  and 
flowery  plains,"  where 


CATHARINE   GARRETTSON.  259 

"  Our  spirits  ne'er  shall  tire, 
But  in  perpetual,  joyful  strains, 
Redeeming  love  admire." 

Freeborn  Garrettson  is  one  of  the  most  distin 
guished  personages  in  our  denominational  annals. 
He  was  the  first  American  Methodist  preacher  that 
proclaimed  the  doctrine  of  free,  full,  and  immediate 
salvation  in  New  England,  and  also  in  the  British 
provinces.  He  was  a  native  of  the  Middle  States ;  a 
man  naturally  benign,  heroically  zealous,  always  re- 
joicing in  God ;  "  all  meekness  and  love,  and  yet  all 
activity,"  said  Coke;  a  man  of  property,  who  had 
emancipated  his  slaves  for  Christ's  sake ;  had  suffered 
indescribable  privations. and  fatigues  as  his  ambassa- 
dor ;  had  been  mobbed  and  imprisoned ;  had  escaped 
attempts  on  his  life,  made  with  firearms  and  with 
poison ;  a  man  who  had  every  domestic  attraction  to 
allure  him  from  his  work,  and  every  susceptibility  of 
the  heart  to  feel  such  attractions,  and  yet  declared, 
through  a  long  and  by  a  laborious  career,  that  "  none 
of  these  things  moved  him,  neither  counted  he  his 
life  dear  unto  himself,  so  that  he  might  finish  his 
course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry  which  he  had 
received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  Gospel  of 
the  grace  of  God." 

His  ministerial  excursions  along  the  Hudson,  as 
well  as  his  social  position,  brought  him  into  the 
society  of  the  Livingstons,  then  predominant  in 


260  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

their  political  influence.  Among  them  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  old  Judge  Livingston,  and  sister  of  the  well- 
known  Chancellor — a  lady  of  rare  accomplishments, 
a  correspondent  of  Lady  "Washington,  Mrs.  Gen- 
eral Warren,  and  other  distinguished  women  of 
that  period  of  pre-eminent  women  in  America. 
She  had  enjoyed  the  acquaintance  of  Washington 
himself,  and  of  many  of  the  great  personages  of 
the  times.*  She  was  a  woman  of  remarkably  vigor- 
ous faculties,  a  genuine  example,  in  fine,  of  the  char- 
acteristic intellect  and  nobleness  of  her  remarkable 
family.  Jler  clear  and  sound  judgment,  and  health- 
ful moral  feelings,  led  her,  even  in  the  gay  sphere 
of  her  early  life,  to  frequent  and  deep  religious  re- 
flections. The  good  providence  of  God  guided  her 
into  the  path  of  life  by  one  of  those  humble  instru- 
mentalities which  his  Spirit  so  often  chooses  for  the 
accomplishment  of  his  purposes.  She  had  a  devoted 
servant-maid,  who  had  joined  the  infant  Methodist 
society  in  New  York,  and  whose  conversation  revealed 
to  her  mistress  those  scriptural  doctrines  of  experi- 

*  Mrs.  Garrettson  scrupulously  shunned  the  usual  dissipating  gay- 
eties  of  fashionable  society  after  her  conversion;  but  it  is  said  that 
even  late  in  her  very  prolonged  life  she  could  hardly  help  showing 
some  chagrin  when  mentioning  the  fact  that  she  had  declined  an  in- 
vitation from  Washington  to  dance  with  him  at  a  party.  Her  reason, 
at  the  time,  was  not  one  of  conscience;  she  had  engaged  herself  to 
another  partner.  If  the  reader  thinks  the  supposed  regret  a  weak- 
ness, it  will  at  least  be  allowed  to  have  been,  in  such  a  case,  among 
the  most  pardonable  of  weaknesses. 


CATHARINE   GARRETTSON.  261 

mental  religion  which  alone  could  meet  the  demands 
of  her  strong  but  anxious  mind.  Through  the  same 
providential  means  she  also  obtained  Wesley's  Ser- 
mons ;  these  became  her  assiduous  study,  her  com- 
panion to  the  Bible,  and  led  her  into  those  deep 
things  of  godliness  by'  which  her  eminently  holy 
life  was  always  afterward  distinguished.  She  was 
enabled,  one  day,  while  receiving  the  holy  com- 
munion at  the  altar,  to  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  unto  salvation.  The  doctrine  of  faith,  as 
taught  in  the  Scriptures  and  expounded  by  Wesley 
and  his  followers,  was  thenceforth  the  support 
and  delight  of  her  soul;  and  few  among  the 
women  of  Methodism  have  afforded,  through  so 
protracted  a  life,  so  conclusive  a  demonstration  of 
that  doctrine.  Her  social  position  presented  tempta- 
tions full  of  danger  to  the  state  of  mind  to  which 
she  had  attained,  but  a  single  trial  soon  taught  her 
that  to  follow  Christ  was  to  "come  out  from  the 
world  "  in  such  manner  as  to  share  with  it  no  longer 
even  the  "  appearance  of  evil."  While  visiting,  for 
several  days,  a  family  in  her  own  elevated  walks  of  life, 
a  ball  was  given  within  the  mansion ;  she  had  been 
accustomed  to  attend  such  occasions,  but  her  renewed 
soul,  now  "crucified  to  the  world,"  and  delicately 
sensitive  to  all  danger,  dreaded  a  recommencement 
of  her  former  gay  indulgences;  yet  she  feared  the 
unfavorable  construction  which  the  family  and  her 


262  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

friends  generally  would  put  upon  her  conduct  if  she 
should  seclude  herself  from  the  recreation  of  the 
evening.  She  resisted  her  scruples  at  last,  but  the 
occasion  closed  with  the  loss  of  that  peaceful  frame 
of  mind  which  she  had  enjoyed  before  it,  and  a  deep 
sense  of  self-abasement  and  gloom  spread  over  her 
spirit.  She  sought  again  the  peace  she  had  lost,  and 
never  afterward  periled  it  by  participating  in  such 
worldly  dissipations  as  are  incompatible  with  the 
spirit  of  the  Scriptures,  (however  they  may  not  be 
specifically  prohibited  by  their  letter,)  and  in  con- 
genial with  the  prayerful,  the  lowly,  the  conse- 
crated temper  of  pure  religion,  one  trait  of  which, 
St.  James  tells  us,  is  to  "keep  ourselves  unspotted 
from  the  world." 

However  Miss  Livingston's  strong  good  sense 
might  have  suggested  to  her  the  innocence,  and 
even  desirableness,  of  amusements,  of  a  suitable  kind 
under  suitable  circumstances,  yet  that  very  good 
sense  was  it  that  dictated  the  conclusion  to  which 
she  came  to  break  away  at  once  and  forever  from 
such  recreations  as  tended  to  worldly  dissipation, 
such  as  it  would  not  be  well  to  be  overtaken  in  by 
death.  And  most  salutary  was  her  course  in  this 
respect;  she  became  the  object  of  mingled  endear- 
ment and  reverence  in  the  large  circle  of  society  in 
which  she  moved.  Seldom,  if  ever,  was  there  more 
of  Christian  propriety,  good  sense,  and  kindly  for- 


CATHARINE   GARRETTSON.  263 

bearance,  combined  in  a  single  character ;  and  seldom, 
if  ever,  did  a  Christian  lady  command  more  profound 
esteem  and  love  through  such  extended  and  exalted 
social  relations.  The  gay,  and  the  splendid  in  talent 
and  reputation,  sought  her  company  as  a  source  of 
instruction  and  refined  social  enjoyment ;  her  beau- 
tiful residence  was  the  resort  continually  of  such,  as 
well  as  of  the  devout,  who  came  to  it  as  to  a  sanctuary 
of  all  the  best  enjoyments  of  this  life,  and  of  the  best 
hopes  of  the  life  to  come.  Even  down  to  almost 
her  hundredth  year,  she  was  a  ministering  angel  to 
the  extensive  branches  of  her  distinguished  family, 
and  the  remnants  of  her  earlier  circle  of  associates. 
She  was  usually  called  by  them,  in  their  last  days,  if 
not  earlier,  to  explain  to  them  the  faith  which  had  so 
sanctified  and  blessed  her  life,  and  several  of  them 
were  converted,  through  her  instructions  and  prayers, 
on  their  dying  beds.* 

Such  was  the  lady  who,  undazzled  by  the  brilliancy 
of  her  sphere,  chose  the  companionship  of  Garrettson 
in  the  way  to  heaven,  rather  than  to  enjoy  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  world  for  a  season. 

President   Olin,  who  had  frequently  shared  the 

*  I  have  been  informed  that  she  was  instrumental  in  leading 
her  brother,  Chancellor  Livingston,  to  peace  in  death;  and  such 
views  and  enjoyments  of  religion  had  that  eminent  man  before  he 
died,  that  he  expressed  a  wish  to  live,  only  that  he  might  lay  aside 
his  public  honors,  and  become  a  preacher  of  the  faith  that  had 
saved  him- 


264  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

hospitalities  of  her  house,  and  went  thither  to 
"  mourn  with  those  who  monrned "  her  decease, 
said,  in  his  discourse  over  her  coffin,  that  "  she  had 
left  an  example  of  Christian  piety  as  pure,  beautiful, 
and  attractive,  as  the  Church  militant  in  these  latter 
days  is  wont  to  exhibit.  That  within  the  memory 
of  the  present  generation  she  has  not  been  known  to 
perform  an  action,  or  speak  a  word,  or  manifest  a 
temper,  not  in  harmony  with  her  Christian  profession. 
That  those  who  had  the  happiness  of  enjoying  her 
intimate  acqaintance — those  who  were  accustomed 
to  meet  with  her  where  the  '  children  of  God  spake 
often  one  to  another ' — know  well  that  through  these 
long  years  she  has  not  rested  from  her  labors  as 
victor  upon  a  conquered  field.  They  will  testify 
that,  with  no  intermission,  she  has  to  the  last  been 
eminently  active,  watchful,  and  self-denying;  that 
Bhe,  more  than  those  around  her,  'prayed  without 
ceasing ; '  that  she  constantly  '  hungered  and  thirste'd 
after  righteousness ; '  that  her  religious  experience  and 
utterances  were  ever  fresh,  edifying,  and  spiritual; 
that  she  was  reverent,  humble,  grateful,  trustful, 
filial,  quite  above  the  examples  of  our  current 
Christianity."  "  For  myself,"  he  added,  "  I  seemed 
always,  when  in  her  presence,  in  what  (for  want  of 
some  more  descriptive  term)  has  often  been  denomi- 
nated a  religious  atmosphere." 

Her  vigorous  mind  was  familiar  with  the  political 


CATHARINE  GARRETTSON.  265 

history  of  the  country,  and  to  the  last  took  a  patri- 
otic interest  in  its  public  measures.  Dr.  Olin  re- 
marked on  this  subject  that,  "  in  everything  that 
concerned  her  own  country,  her  deepest  feelings 
were  enlisted.  Hers  was  a  patriotism  born  amid 
the  stirring  scenes  and  profound  excitements  of  the 
war  of  independence.  She  had  been  acquainted 
with  Washington  and  Jay,  and  many  of  the  ruling 
spirits  gf  that  day;  and  the  gallant  Montgomery, 
whose  blood  flowed  early  in  the  great  struggle  for 
freedom,  was  a  favorite  brother-in-law.  These  cir- 
cumstances had  no  doubt  much  influence  in  form- 
ing, if  we  may  use  such  language  in  speaking  of  a 
woman,  her  political  opinions  and  character.  The 
strength,  intensity,  and  dignity  of  these  might  be 
denominated  Roman,  but  for  the  profounder  Chris- 
tian sentiment  with  which  her  thoughts  and  conver- 
sation were  imbued,  whenever  her  country  and  its 
interests  were  the  theme." 

She  died  as  she  had  lived,  with  a  "lively  hope" 
of  immortality.  "  Her  last  intelligible  utterances 
were  made  up  of  what  made  up  her  life  —  earnest 
prayer  and  triumphant  assurance.  '  Come,  Lord 
Jesus  !  come,  Lord  Jesus  !  come  quickly ! '  she 
cried,  with  eyes  and  hands  raised  toward  heaven. 
Soon  after,  clapping  her  hands  in  holy  triumph,  she 
three  times  exclaimed  exultingly,  '  He  comes !  He 
comes !  He  comes  ! ' " 


266  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

I  have  been  the  more  minute  in  these  details, 
because  no  memoir  of  Mrs.  Garrettson  has  jet  been 
published,  though  few,  if  any,  of  the  early  women 
of  American  Methodism  have  been  more  widely 
known.  She  died  in  1849,  aged  ninety-six  years. 
Her  character  was  one  of  the  finest  that  a  biog- 
rapher could  portray.  I  am  sure  that  the  many 
who  knew  and  loved  her  will  not  deem  tedious  these 
cursory  notes,  suggested  on  the  spot  whose,  beauties 
were  enhanced  and  consecrated  by  the  sanctity  of 
her  life  and  the  nobleness  of  her  character. 

After  traveling  as  a  Methodist  preacher  through 
all  the  Middle  and  Northern  States  for  years,  the 
growth  of  the  Church,  and  the  consolidation  of  its 
sectional  departments  of  labor,  fixed  Freeborn  G-ar- 
rettson's  sphere  mostly  on  the  Hudson ;  he  had  been 
the  chief  founder  of  our  cause  along  that  stream,  and 
now  became  for  many  years  its  superintendent  as  a 
presiding  elder.  This  led  him  at  last  to  select  the 
beautiful  site  at  Rhinebeck  for  the  home  of  his 
declining  days.  It  was  not  provided  as  a  refuge  from 
labor,  but  as  an  occasional  retreat,  and  an  asylum 
when  he  could  no  longer  travel.  Still,  such  were 
his  scruples  respecting  the  ministry  as  a  divine  voca- 
tion (and  not  a  profession)  that  he  felt  no  little 
anxiety  about  the  propriety  of  making  even  this 
"  provision  for  the  flesh."  He  died  away  from  it 
at  his  work. 


CATHARINE   GARRETTSON.  267 

The  following  is  the  account  given  by  Mrs.  Gar- 
rettson  of  the  manner  in  which  they  took  possess- 
ion of  their  new  home :  "  Our  house  being  nearly 
finished,  in  October,  1799,  we  moved  into  it;  and 
the  first  night,  in  family  prayer,  while  my  blessed 
husband  was  dedicating  it  to  the  Lord,  the  place  was 
filled  with  His  presence,  who  in  the  days  of  old  filled 
the  temple  with  his  glory.  Every  heart  rejoiced, 
and  felt  that  God  was  with  us  of  a  truth.  Such 
was  our  introduction  into  our  new  habitation ;  and 
had  we  not  reason  to  say,  with  Joshua,  As  for  me 
and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord  ?  " 

Having  erected  his  house,  he  enjoyed  its  beautiful 
seclusion  with  the  zest  which  his  good  taste  and  very 
warm  domestic  affections  could  not  fail  to  give  to 
such  a  home.  He  labored,  meanwhile,  in  the  minis- 
try, as  his  years  and  infirmities  would  admit.  His 
mansion  became,  and  continues  to  be,  the  resort 
of  his  ministerial  brethren,  and  a  large  circle  of 
kindred  and  friends.  Its  doors  have  always  been 
open,  and  its  hospitalities  without  restraint;  and 
the  Methodist  itinerant  meets  there  a  welcome 
which  speaks  unequivocally  to  his  heart  the  benedic- 
tion, "  Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord  ! "  That 
benediction  glowed  in  every  feature  of  Freeborn 
Garrettson  when  a  brother  laborer  approached  hia 
door;  and  the  spirit  of  the  father  has  descended 
in  a  double  measure,  if  possible,  to  his  only  child, 


WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

who  still  maintains  the  old  hospitality  and  sanctity 
of  the  homestead.  Asbnry  often  directed  his  weary 
course  thither  as  to  a  temporary  resting-place,  and 
from  it  to  a  similar  shelter  at  Governor  Yan 
Conrtlandts,  "whose  wife,"  he  says,  "was  a  Shu- 
namite  indeed,"  for  the  influence  of  the  Garrettson 
family  brought  not  a  few  such  families  into  in- 
timate relations  with  Methodism.  Garrettson'a 
house  was  called  "Traveler's  Rest."  "He  hath," 
says  Asbury,  "  a  beautiful  land  and  water  pros- 
pect, and  a  good,  simply  elegant,  useful  house  for 
God,  his  people,  and  the  family.  We  regaled  our- 
selves and  horses  upon  the  pleasant  banks  of  the 
Hudson,  where  the  passing  and  repassing  of  boats 
and  small  craft,  perhaps  fifty  in  a  day,  is  a  pleasant 
eight.  On  Sunday  we  had  a  sermon,  and  adminis- 
tered the  sacrament  at  Brother  Garrettson's ;  and 
notwithstanding  public  worship  was  held  at  the 
Dutch  Church  at  the  same  hour,  we  had  a  large 
congregation.  Bishop  Whatcoat  and  myself  filled 
up  the  service  of  the  day."  On  another  occasion  he 
says :  "  We  rested  at  Traveler's  Rest,  upon  the  soli- 
tary banks  of  Hudson,  with  my  dear  friends  Free- 
born  Garrettson  and  his  prudent,  pious  wife.  We 
have  heat,  heat,  great  heat.  I  had  to  tear  myself 
away  from  these  precious  souls:  I  do  believe  God 
dwells  in  this  house." 

The   house   itself  is  not  ostentatious,   but  com- 


CATHARINE   GARRETTSON.  269 

modious,  with  abundant  apartments ;  a  good  library- 
room —  consecrated  as  both  a  Sunday-school  and 
class-room — connecting  with  a  conservatory,  and 
looking  out  upon  the  river;  piazzas  upon  which 
the  low  windows  open  from  the  parlors  and  sitting- 
rooms  ;  and  groups  of  noble  trees,  which  overshadow 
and  shelter  the  building  with  an  air  of  comfort- 
able protection.  It  is  reached  by  a  carriage-path 
from  the  main  road,  and  is  quite  hid  from  the  view 
of  the  latter.  The  lawn  and  flower-garden,  and 
clumps  of  forest-trees  around  it,  are  arranged  with 
the  best  taste,  and  render  it,  in  fine,  one  of  the  most 
delightful,  if  not  one  of  the  most  elegant,  residences 
of  the  neighborhood. 

While  the  exterior  of  this  beautiful  seat  presents 
such  real  attractions,  its  interior  is  not  without  higher 
interest.  To  say  nothing  of  its  fine  antique  furniture, 
which  the  caprice  or  good  sense  of  fashionable  taste 
is  now  bringing  into  use  again ;  the  ample  library, 
with  its  good  stock  of  old  Methodist  works ;  or  the 
exceedingly  comfortable-looking  and  homelike  con- 
struction and  arrangement  of  the  apartments,  the 
house  is  full  of  agreeable  and  historical  associations. 
Many  of  its  relics  are  precious,  and  if  the  visitor  is  so 
disposed,  the  conversation  of  its  present  intelligent 
hostess  can  detail  reminiscences  of  the  old  times — 
the  early  characters  and  struggles  of  the  Church — of 
no  little  interest.  The  walls  are  adorned  by  busts 


270  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

and  original  portraits  of  the  distinguished  members 
of  the  Livingston  family.  There  is  also  a  very  fine 
original  portrait  of  Asbury,  and  a  good  one  of  Free- 
born  Garrettson  himself.  The  former  has  a  charac- 
teristic expression  about  the  eyes  which  the  engraved 
likenesses  of  the  great  American  evangelist  have 
failed  to  represent.  One  of  the  most  interesting  of 
these  paintings  is  a  striking  likeness  of  Catharine 
Garrettson.  Though  taken  when  she  had  seen  more 
than  threescore  years  and  ten,  it  presents  a  freshness 
and  fullness  of  feature  which  may  literally  be  pro- 
nounced beautiful.  A  moral  beauty,  still  more  strik- 
ing, glows  over  the  countenance;  that  intellectual 
superiority  and  nobleness  which  so  much  character- 
ized her  family,  and  which  speak  from  all  these 
portraits  and  busts,  predominate  in  this  fine  old 
face  also,  and  are  enhanced  by  an  expression  of 
Christian  tenderness  and  dignity  which  cannot  fail 
to  arrest  and  impress  the  attention  of  the  most  casual 
spectator. 

The  original  correspondence  and  autographs  of 
distinguished  public  characters  form  a  numerous  and 
interesting  class  of  relics  here.  A  large  volume, 
substantially  bound,  and  entitled,  in  gilt  label, 
"  Centenary  Reminiscences,"  contains  not  merely 
autographs,  but  entire  letters,  from  the  most  emi- 
nent men  of  early  Methodism.  Wesley,  Asbury, 
and  Coke  were  correspondents  of  the  family;  the 


CATHAKINE  GARRETTSON.  271 

letters  of  the  latter  form  quite  a  budget,  and  throw 
some  light  on  the  early  history  of  the  Church.  Most 
of  the  later  leaders  of  our  cause  have  left  auto- 
graphic relics  in  this  volume.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  is  a  letter  addressed  to  Garrettson  by 
Summerfield,  when  the  latter  was  prostrated  with 
sickness ;  it  would  have  befitted  the  pen  of  St.  John. 

Among  the  other  autographs — many  of  them  en- 
tire letters — from  public  men,  are  those  of  Washing- 
ton, La  Fayette,  Jefferson,  Monroe,  Madison,  Pinck- 
ney,  Generals  Gates,  Greene,  Kosciusko,  etc.,  George 
Canning,  Count  Rumford,  Chalmers,  Montgomery, 
Wirt,  etc.,  etc.  Among  the  autographs  of  females 
of  distinction  are  those  of  Madame  de  "Stael,  and  the 
correspondence  with  Mrs.  Garrettson  of  Mrs.  Grant, 
Mrs.  Warren,  (dated  at  Plymouth,)  and  Lady  Wash- 
ington ;  the  latter  full  of  those  religious  sentiments 
which  the  influence  of  Catharine  Garrettson  could 
not  fail  to  inspire  or  elicit  among  her  thoughtful 
female  friends. 

Asbury's  intercourse  with  this  family  brought 
him  into  intimate  relations  with  the  Livingstons 
and  their  circle  of  society.  In  1799  he  writes :  "  I 
visited  Mr.  Sands's  family,  and  on  Wednesday  break- 
fasted with  Mrs.  Montgomery  at  her  beautiful  re- 
treat. Dined  at  Mrs.  Livingston's,  on  the  manor; 
an  aged,  respectable  mother  of  many  children.  The 
house,  the  garden,  the  river  view — all  might  afford 


272  WOMEN   OF  METHODISM. 

much  painting  for  the  pen  of  a  Hervey.  Brother 
Garrettson  and  his  agreeable  wife  attended  us." 
And  in  1800  he  thus  notices  the  death  of  the  Koman 
mother  of  the  family :  "  Freeborn  Garrettson  came 
up  with  us :  he  attended  the  funeral  of  the  vener- 
able mother  Livingston,  who  was  suddenly  and 
safely  called  home,  aged  seventy-eight.  Madam 
Livingston  was  one  that  gave  invitation  to  the 
Methodist  preachers  to  come  to  Ehinebeck,  and 
received  them  into  her  house;  and  would  have 
given  them  more  countenance  had  she  been  under 
no  other  influence  than  that  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
and  her  own  feelings.  I  visited  her  one  year  before 
her  death,  and  spent  a  night  at  her  mansion ;  she 
was  sensible,  conversable,  and  hospitable." 

Among  the  many  Christian  companions  of  Catha- 
rine Garrettson,  won  to  the  Church  by  her  influ- 
ence, was  Catharine  Rutsen,  afterward  CATHARINE 
SUCKLEY.  The  name  of  Buckley  was  long  eminent 
in  the  history  of  New  York  Methodism,  and  Catha- 
rine Suckley  was  prominent  in  the  "goodly  com- 
pany" of  Asbury's  female  friends.  Her  family  was 
his  frequent  home ;  and  among  its  most  sacred  heir- 
looms is,  not  only  his  own  portrait,  but  the  only  one 
extant  of  his  own  beloved  and  distant  mother,  which 
he  placed  under  the  protection  of  Catharine  Suckley 
that  he  might  greet  it,  on  the  walls  of  her  "  Prophet's 


CATHARINE   Sl'CKLEY.  273 

Chamber,"  whenever  in  his  episcopal  wanderings  he 
could  return  to  it.  A  member  of  the  Garrettson 
family  has  sketched  the  character  of  Catharine  Suck- 
ley.  "  Her  father  died,"  she  writes, "  at  an  early  age, 
leaving  his  two  daughters  coheiresses  to  large  landed 
estates.  She  was  made  a  subject  of  divine  grace  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  became  a  pattern  of  cheer- 
ful piety  to  her  dying  day.  This  event  opened  to  us  a 
union  of  spirit  which  was  a  source  of  happiness  to  us 
both.  In  the  high  bloom  of  beauty,  admired,  beloved, 
and  followed,  she  became  sensible  of  the  importance 
of  religion.  This  she  held  dearer  than  all  created 
things ;  this  occupied  her  whole  soul ;  and  her  grati- 
tude to  God  for  snatching  her  from  the  caresses  of 
the  world  was  often  repeated  and  expressed  in  her 
writings.  She  was  remarkable  for  a  very  vivid  im- 
agination, and  a  sensibility  which  heightened  all  her 
enjoyments,  and  made  her  society  fascinating.  Her 
talent  for  conversation  could  be  exceeded  by  no  one 
—  she  was  always  new.  Benevolence  glowed  in  her 
face  and  sparkled  in  her  eye ;  her  charity  extended  to 
all.  She  appeared  always  to  be  in  a  prayerful  frame 
of  mind.  In  the  early  part  of  her  religious  career  she 
was  sorely  tempted  respecting  that  Church  in  which, 
afterward,  she  so  often  exulted  in  having  become  a 
member.  Her  love  for  souls  was  ardent  and  sincere , 
and  none  could  leave  her  company  without  sharing 

in  her  prayers  and  being  ffllowed  by  her  blessing. 

18 


274  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

"  The  dealings  of  God  toward  her  in  many  things 
were  very  remarkable ;  but  they  who  devote  them- 
selves to  his  service,  as  she  eminently  did,  may  hope 
for  the  guidance  of  his  Spirit.  '  The  secret  of  the 
Lord  is  with  the  righteous.'  Her  intercourse  with 
God  was  such  that  she  brought  all  her  concerns, 
spiritual  and  temporal,  to  the  mercy-seat,  and  could 
then  wait  without  any  anxiety  the  issue  of  his  will. 
And  the  answers  to  her  prayers  were  so  frequent 
that  she  stood  strong  in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God. 
Her  marriage  was  in  a  remarkable  way  brought 
about  by  Him  whose  parental  care  watched  over 
her  for  good.  The  objections  she  entertained  to 
wedded  life  were  strong  and  constant,  and  yet  so 
unequivocally  was  the  will  of  God  made  known  to 
her  that  all  scruples  were  overcome,  and  she  became 
the  wife  of  one  whom  she  had  long  known  and  loved. 
She  finished  her  earthly  career  in  November,  1825. 
A  letter  from  a  friend  thus  announced  her  departure : 
'  The  die  is  cast,  the  spirit  has  returned  to  God  who 
gave  it,  and  the  dear  dust  will  to-morrow  be  con- 
veyed to  the  house  appointed  for  all  living;  and 
methinks  a  purer  spirit  never  inhabited  a  mansion 
of  clay  since  the  transgression  of  our  first  parents. 
With  a  solemn  delight  I  love  to  dwell  on  the  various 
excellences  of  this  dear  departed  saint.  I  think  of 
my  own  loss ;  I  reflect  that  I  shall  no  more  behold 
the  tender,  the  cheerful  smile  with  which  she  ever 


CATHARINE   SUCKLET.  275 

met  my  embrace,  and  I  shall  no  more  pour  into  her 
affectionate  and  sympathizing  bosom  my  joys  and 
my  complaints — and  my  heart  is  melted  with  sor- 
row.' Her  end,  like  her  life,  was  peaceful  and 
bright  with  foretastes  of  heavenly  rest ;  not  a  doubt 
or  fear  was  permitted  to  assail  her.  Calmly  she 
sank  into  her  bed  of  rest,  while  her  buoyant  spirit 
rose  to  join  the  praises  of  the  sky,  and  own  her 
kindred ;  there  she  meets  a  mother  and  a  sister,  per- 
haps waiting  around  her  pillow  to  lead  the  way. 
How  much  will  they  have  to  communicate ;  how 
much  to  enjoy.  Who  would  forego  a  happy  eternity 
for  anything  this  sublunary  world  could  promise  or 
bestow  ? 

"In  copying  my  dear  friend's  journal,  or  rather 
daily  walk  with  God,  I  have  been  at  a  loss  what  to 
leave,  or  which  to  prefer,  where  all  was  excellent  and 
expressive  of  a  heart  simply  given  up,  and  fervently 
engaged  for  entire  devotion.  This  she  attained  in  a 
very  uncommon  degree.  She  lived  religion,  and  felt 
sensibly  the  importance  of  the  soul ;  and  eternity 
will  disclose  for  how  many  she  has  importuned  with 
effect.  Being  dead,  she  yet  speaketh." 

"  More  than  half  a  century  ago  there  dwelt  among 
the  mountains  which  embosom  West  Point,  on  the 
Hudson  River,  a  few  plain  Quakers  and  some  devoted 
Methodists.  Of  these  was  born,  in  1806,  one  whose 


276  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

life  and  death  have  illustrated  the  grace  of  God  in 
renewing  and  sanctifying  the  soul,  and  the  love  of 
God,  in  an  entire  consecration  of  the  whole  life  to 
the  missionary  cause.  This  person  was  the  late  Mrs. 
ANN  WILKINS." 

So  writes  Dr.  Dtirbin,  the  representative  of  the 
missions  of  American  Methodism,  in  the  too  brief 
record  of  one  of  the  noblest  women  who  have  illus- 
trated the  history  of  the  Church.  It  is  to  be  deplored 
that  no  adequate  account  of  her  labors  has  yet  been 
prepared,  and  that  we  can  but  allude  to  her  in  pass- 
ing to  the  close  of  our  volume,  for  Ann  "Wilkins 
deserves  an  ample  place  among  the  female  worthies 
of  the  Church.  She  was  a  type,  a  model,  of  a  class 
of  its  laborers  who,  agreeing  in  character  with  the 
earlier  women  whom  we  have  recorded,  have  achieved 
signal  services  in  more  modern  and  more  extended 
spheres  of  usefulness.  She  was,  adds  the  missionary 
secretary,  "  converted  to  God  at  the  age  of  fourteen, 
and  thus  escaped  the  snares  and  fascinations  of  the 
world.  But  the  indomitable  spirit  'that  God  had 
given  her,  and  the  vigorous  person  in  which  he  had 
placed  that  spirit,  were  not  willing  to  defend  her 
Christian  pnrity  and  life  by  retiring  into  privacy, 
where  there  would  be  but  little  danger,  because  little 
temptation ;  but  with  a  proper  Christian  confidence, 
at  nineteen  years  of  age  she  stepped  forth  into  the 
arena  of  active  life  as  a  teacher  of  youth,  moved 


ANN   WILKINS.  277 

thereto  chiefly  by  the  desire  and  hope  of  leading  her 
pupils  to  Christ."  6  V- 

In  listening,  in  1836,  amid  a  vast  throng,  in  a 
grove,  to  a  narrative  of  the  Methodist  mission  work 
in  Africa,  given  by  a  returned  missionary,  she  was 
profoundly  impressed ;  she  saw  in  that  field,  of  moral 
as  well  as  physical  death,  an  arena  befitting  her  spirit 
of  self-sacrifice.  She  gave  at  the  time  all  the  money 
she  had  to  the  collection  taken  up  for  the  mission, 
and  sent  to  Rev.  Dr.  Bangs,  then  missionary  secre- 
tary, a  brief  but  striking  note,  saying:  "A  sister, 
who  has  but  little  money  at  command,  gives  that 
little  cheerfully,  and  is  willing  to  give  her  life  as  a 
female  teacher  if  she  is  wanted." 

Early  in  the  next  year  Ann  "WilkinB  was  on 
the  sea,  with  a  mission  company,  destined  to  Liberia. 
"  From  the  hour,"  says  Dr.  Durbin,  "  that  she  beheld 
the  low,  palm-bearing  coast  of  Liberia,  she  never  for- 
got it  in  her  conversation,  her  labors,  or  her  prayers. 
Upon  landing  she  immediately  commenced  her  work, 
by  gathering  around  her  a  company  of  the  children, 
and  became  their  teacher.  Out  of  this  movement 
sprung  the  '  Millsburg  Female  Boarding  School,'  the 
very  mention  of  which  gives  out  an  odor  of  a  sweet 
smell  to  the  name  of  Mrs.  Wllkins.  Twice  her  health 
failed  her,  and  she  sank  down  to  the  verge  of  the 
grave,  but  would  not  desert  her  work,  till  the  coun- 
sel and  constraint  of  those  who  had  influence  and 


278  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

authority  in  the  matter  caused  her  to  make  a  voyage 
home.  When  she  returned  home,  in  1853,  without 
afflicting  her  by  telling  her  we  thought,  possibly,  her 
mission  was  ended  in  Africa,  the  Board  quietly  ac- 
cepted as  a  fact  that  her  work  in  Africa  was  done. 
But  this  was  a  mistake.  Three  devoted  Christian 
young  women  insisted  on  going  out  to  Africa  as 
teachers,  and  the  Board,  seeing  they  were  intent  on 
this,  said,  'The  will  of  God  be  done.'  But  the 
Board  thought  it  prudent  to  ask  Mrs.  "Wilkins  if 
she  would  return  to  Africa  with  these  three  young 
women,  and  watch  over  them,  and  assist  them  till 
they  should  become  acclimated  and  established  in 
their  schools.  Without  the  slightest  hesitation  she 
consented,  and  they  sailed  in  October,  1854.  Her 
health  gradually  gave  way,  and  she  was  forced  to 
return  home  in  1856.  It  was  now  evident,  beyond  a 
doubt,  that  her  residence  in  Africa  was  at  an  end. 
And  yet  the  return  voyage,  and  the  society  of  friends, 
and  the  comforts  which  she  found  wherever  she  went, 
much  improved  her  health.  Upon  the  first  gleam  of 
hope  and  confidence  that  she  could  still  do  something 
toward  promoting  the  happiness  and  salvation  of  her 
fellow-beings,  she  began  to  ask  for  work,  and  would 
not  be  content  till  she  was  admitted  as  an  officer,  in 
active  service,  in  the  Juvenile  Asylum  of  New  York. 
Alas !  this  effort  still  to  do  good  was  but  the  spas- 
modic exhibition  of  a  life  which  panted  to  be  useful, 


ANN  WILKINS.  279 

but  had  expended  its  power.  In  forty-eight  hours 
from  her  entrance  on  service  in  the  asylum  she  lay 
upon  her  bed,  gradually  sinking,  till,  at  the  end  of 
the  sixth  day,  she  died  in  great  peace. 

"But  those  six  days  were  eventful  days,  crowned 
with  glory  and  honor.  None  approached  her  with- 
out being  illuminated  by  the  depth  and  gleam  of  her 
piety :  it  literally  shone  upon  and  penetrated  every 
one  that  came  into  communion  with  her  during 
these  days.  The  words  she  uttered  were  listened  to 
with  eagerness,  and  treasured  up  in  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  the  memory  and  of  the  heart.  They  are 
still  repeated  within  the  circle  of  those  friends  who 
knew  her  inner  life,  as  oracles  issuing  out  of  the 
temple  of  God.  Their  practical  power  may  be 
faintly  realized  by  the  reply  of  the  proper  officers 
of  the  Juvenile  Asylum  to  the  Missionary  Society, 
when  its  recording  secretary  said  he  had  corne  to 
make  the  asylum  suitable  compensation  for  their 
trouble  and  kindness  to  our  sister  Wilkins  during 
her  illness.  The  asylum  said,  '  No,  indeed ;  we  have 
had  reward  enough ;  it  was  as  if  waiting  upon  an 
angel  of  God ;  we  never  saw  such  a  person ;  such 
dying  we  never  witnessed.'  As  the  Sunday  after 
her  decease  approached,  all  that  was  mortal  of  Ann 
Wilkins,  accompanied  by  her  mother  and  by  the 
recording  secretary  of  the  Missionary  Board,  was 
conveyed  to  the  old  homestead  of  the  family,  near 


280  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

Fort  Montgomery,  and,  after  appropriate  funeral 
services,  her  remains  were  deposited  in  the  sepul- 
cher  of  her  fathers,  where  she  now  sweetly  sleeps 
amid  the  everlasting  hills  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson." 

But  the  name  of  Ann  Wilkins  will  never  die  in 
the  Church:  it  is  venerated  on  both  shores  of  the 
Atlantic;  it  will  be  canonized  in  the  future  Chris- 
tian calendar  of  Africa.  Her  character  was  singu- 
larly fitted  for  her  work.  The  portrait  that  remains 
of  her  bears  marks  of  the  wear  of  years  and  of 
the  exhaustive  effects  of  the  African  climate;  but 
expresses,  also,  the  heroic  energy,  the  considerate 
calmness  and  firmness,  that  made  her  whole  life 
one  of  effective  work.  Quiet  even  to  reticence,  of 
few  and  meek  words,  conversing  more  with  God 
than  with  man,  and  of  the  deepest  humility,  she 
nevertheless  showed  herself  mighty  of  soul  in  the 
weakness  of  her  sex  and  of  prostrate  health,  and  her 
name  has  become  a  watchword  to  scores  of  her  Meth- 
odist sisters  who,  following  her  example,  have  devoted 
themselves  to  labor  and  suffering  for  their  Church  in 
the  ends  of  the  earth. 

It  has  been  affirmed  that  the  name  of  Barbara 
Heck  will  rank  forever  at  the  head  of  her  sex  in  the 
ecclesiastical  history  of  the  New  World ;  American 
Methodism  has  another  similarly  pre-eminent  name 


ELIZA   GARRETT.  281 

in  another  but  most  important  sphere  of  usefulness. 
A  bishop  of  the  Church*  has  said:  "The  name  of 
ELIZA  GARRETT  will  be  honored  while  the  world 
endures.  As  time  shall  develope  the  good  results 
and  the  far-reaching  influence  of  the  institution 
founded  by  her  munificence,  it  will  be.  ranked  by 
faithful  historians  with  the  names  of  Brown  and 
Girard,  Harvard  and  Yale.  It  will  be  singular  in 
American  history  as  that  of  the  first  female  in  our 
country  who  has  attained  so  distinguished  a  rank  by 
an  act  of  Christian  philanthropy." 

Eliza  Garrett  founded  one  of  the  most  moment- 
ous institutions  of  American  Methodism  by  a  dona- 
tion of  about  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars  —  a 
gift  which  promises  to  be  of  redoubled  value.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Eliza  Clark.  She  was  born  March 
5, 1805,  near  Newburgh,  K.  Y.  She  was  an  example 
of  the  salutary  effects  of  early  religious  training ;  the 
influence  of  her  parental  home  formed  her  character 
for  piety  and  usefulness.  She  grew  up  with  the 
habitual  consciousness  that  "none  of  us  liveth  to 
himself,  and  no  man  dieth  to  himself,"  and  that'  the 
highest  felicity  of  life  is  in  its  beneficence.  She  was 
married  in  1825  to  Augustus  Garrett,  a  man  of 
energetic  character,  but  unfortunate  for  years  in  his 
business  undertakings.  They  were  both,  however, 
examples  of  the  persistent  spirit  of  the  American 

*  Bishop  Clark,  in  "  Our  Excellent  Women." 


282  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

people,  and,  baffled  in  one  place,  courageously  began 
life  again  in  another.  The  prolonged  experiment 
was  repeated  in  Cincinnati  after  failing  in  New 
York,  in  New  Orleans  after  failing  in  Cincinnati, 
in  Natchitoches  after  New  Orleans,  in  Chicago  after 
Natchitoches.  Sadder  trials  tested  them  in  this 
painful  struggle.  They  lost  their  first-born  child  by 
cholera,  in  its  fourth  year,  while  passing  down  the 
Mississippi,  and  were  compelled  to  pause  and  leave 
it  in  a  grave  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Their  only 
surviving  child,  a  son,  also  died  at  Natchitoches,  and 
at  last,  in  1834,  they  wended  their  way,  stricken  yet 
never  abandoning  hope,  to  Chicago.  The  great  city 
was  then  but  a  village,  but  the  sagacious  merchant 
saw  there  the  certainty  of  immense  growth,  and  of 
affluent  reward  to  skill  and  integrity. 

In  about  five  years  after  their  arrival  they  both 
joined  the  Methodist  Church  of  Clark-street,  under 
the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  P.  R.  Borein.  "With 
that  church,"  says  her  biographer,  "Mrs.  Garrett 
became  identified,  and  in  it  she  continued  a  worthy 
member  till  her  death,  nearly  seventeen  years  after- 
ward. During  this  entire  period  she  was  character- 
ized by  a  steady  devotion  to  the  service  of  God,  and 
by  a  strict  observance  of  the  rules  of  the  Church, 
together  with  a  firm  and  constant  fidelity  to  its 
interests.  "When  at  home  and  in  health,  her  place 
at  public  worship,  as  well  as  in  the  class  and  prayer 


ELIZA  GARRETT.  283 

meetings,  was  never  vacant.  Her  religious  duties 
and  obligations  were  ever  held  paramount  to  all 
else.  A  beautiful  consistency  of  profession  and  con- 
duct distinguished  her  demeanor  both  as  a  Christian 
and  in  the  social  circle.  Many  of  her  associates  were 
not  religious ;  some  of  them  were  vain  and  worldly. 
Her  influence  even  upon  such  inspired  in  them  the 
highest  respect  for  her  Christian  principles,  and  im- 
pressed them  with  the  reality  and  true  dignity  of  the 
Christian  life.  She  was  always  benevolent  in  pro- 
portion to  her  available  means,  but  her  charities  were 
unostentatious.  With  her  own  hands  she  labored  for 
the  poor,  and  her  feet  often  bore  her  to  their  habita- 
tions on  errands  of  mercy.  Yet  she  did  not  seek  to 
be  solitary  in  these  acts  of  kindness,  but  co-operated 
freely  with  other  ladies  of  her  Church  and  city  in 
associations  for  benevolent  purposes." 

Though  for  some  years  under  the  necessity  of  still 
struggling  for  success,  it  pleased  God  at  last  to  reward 
their  persevering  endeavors.  Mr.  Garrett  commanded 
public  respect,  and  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city. 
His  investments  became  the  sure,  though  as  yet  pro- 
spective, guarantees  of  great  wealth.  "It  may  be 
doubted  whether  his  political  or  business  prosperity 
proved  a  blessing  to  him  personally.  Certain  it  is 
that  he  repeatedly  expressed  his  conviction,  that,  with 
his  activity  of  mind  and  restless  energy,  he  could 
never  live  as  a  Christian  unless  he  devoted  his  means 


284  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

and  efforts  to  founding  and  building  institutions  for 
the  Church.  '  He  knew  his  duty,  but  he  did  it  not.' 
In  December,  1848,  he  was  summoned  into  the  pres- 
ence of  his  Judge,  and  his  widow  was  left  to  perform 
the  great  work  which  he  had  refused  to  do.  Being 
without  children,  she  became  possessed  of  one  half 
of  his  property  absolutely  and  in  fee.  From  this 
time  forward  Mrs.  Garrett  cherished  a  deep  sense 
of  responsibility  for  the  right  use  of  the  means 
providentially  placed  at  her  disposal.  Although 
not  advanced  in  life,  and  enjoying  vigorous  health, 
she  did  not  long  delay  the  preparation  of  a  will, 
designed  to  be  the  exponent  of  her  wishes  and 
Christian  purposes  when  she  should  be  taken  away. 
Grant  Goodrich,  Esq.,  of  Chicago,  had  been  the 
attorney  and  intimate  friend  of  her  husband,  and 
also  of  herself  during  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Garrett's 
estate.  To  him,  as  her  legal  adviser,  and  as  also  a 
Christian  friend  most  competent  to  appreciate  her 
views  and  wishes,  she  made  early  application  to  aid 
her  in  the  preparation  of  her  last  will  and  testament. 
Both  were  conscious  that  the  task  before  them  was 
one  of  no  ordinary  importance,  and  they  made  it  a 
matter  of  careful  study  and  devout  consideration.  It 
would  have  been  easy  to  distribute  a  fortune  among 
worthy  objects ;  but  to  form  a  plan  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  largest  possible  good  was  a  task 
requiring  no  ordinary  anxiety,  thought,  and  prayer. 


ELIZA   GARRETT.  285 

From  the  first,  Mrs.  Garrett  inclined  to  an  educa- 
tional.  enterprise  in  some  form.  She  believed  that 
the  future  of  the  Church  and  the  country  demanded 
the  thorough  intellectual  training  of  the  young  under 
the  auspices  of  Christianity." 

It  was  precisely  at  this  point  that  the  superior 
sense  and  character  of  this  excellent  woman  were 
displayed.  Methodism  had  always  favored  educa- 
tion ;  it  was  at  this  moment  in  advance  of  most,  if 
not  all  other,  religious  denominations  of  the  country 
in  the  number,  if  not  the  effectiveness,  of  its  colleges 
and  academies  ;  but  it  was  yet  generally  prejudiced 
against  institutions  expressly  for  ministerial  educa- 
tion. That  prejudice  had,  after  no  inconsiderable 
struggle,  given  way  in  some  of  the  eastern  states, 
especially  in  New  England,"  where  a  theological 
school,  or  "Biblical  Institute,"  had  been  founded; 
but  the  General  Church  had  not  yet  given  it  any 
recognition,  nor  dared  its  friends  hope  for  any  such 
sanction,  except  as  a  distant  favor.  Eliza  Garrett's 
thoughtful  intelligence  and  piety  placed  her,  in  this 
respect,  in  advance  of  her  people.  She  saw  that 
Methodism  sustained  an  immeasurable  responsibility 
for  the  moral  and  social  training  of  the  whole  repub- 
lic, as  it  was  the  predominant  popular  faith;  she 
perceived  also  that  its  advancement  thus  far  in  edu- 
cational provisions  had  prepared  the  way  for  this 
further  advancement,  and  that  God  had  placed  in 


286  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

her  hands  the  financial  means  of  initiating  it  in  the 
general  Chnrch  as  it  had  been  attempted  in  a  local- 
ity. And  such  was  the  result ;  for  when  her  propo- 
sition came  before  the  General  Conference,  that  body 
saw  that  it  could  not  disregard!  so  remarkable  a  prov- 
idential opportunity,  so  munificent  an  offering.  It 
may  well  be  doubted  whether  the  session  which 
accepted  and  approved  her  overture,  and  thereby 
settled  the  policy  of  the  denomination  on  the  ques- 
tion, would  not  have  rejected  any  less  providential 
appeal  to  its  opinions;  and  to  Eliza  Garrett, 
therefore,  belongs  the  credit  of  turning  the  whole 
Church  into  this  new  career  of  ministerial  improve- 
ment. 

Her  sober  wisdom  was  also  shown  in  the  fact  that; 
in  laying  such  ample  and  stable  foundations  for  this 
great  interest,  she  placed  her  plans  under  the  guard- 
ianship of  the  General  Church,  in  its  General  Con- 
ference. Though  necessarily  local  in  its  site  and 
immediate  management,  it  was  made  a  General  Con- 
ference institution.  "  After  due  reflection  and  inquiry, 
she  resolved,"  adds  her  biographer,  "to  found  an 
institution  for  ministerial  education.  Her  will  was 
executed  on  the  second  day  of  December,  1853.  After 
making  legacies  to  sundry  individuals  to  the  amount 
of  somewhat  more  than  one  third  of  her  estate, 
her  will  conveyed  'all  the  rest  and  residue — • 
that  is  to  say,  the  rents,  issues,  profits,  and  proceeds 


ELIZA   GARRETT.  287 

thereof — to  the  erection,  furnishing,  and  endowment 
of  '  a  Theological  Institution  for  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  to  be  called  the  Garrett  Biblical  Insti- 
tute.' Said  institution  was  to  be  located  in  or  near 
Chicago,  and  was  to  be  placed  perpetually  under  the 
most  careful  guardianship  of  the  Church.  The  prop- 
erty was  not  to  be  used  till  its  increase  or  condition 
should  give  promise  of  the  successful  accomplishment 
of  the  object  to  which  it  was  devoted.  The  will 
also,  with  a  wise  reference  to  the  distant  future,  con- 
tained this  proviso :  '  In  case  at  any  time  the  said 
trust  property,  the  rents,  issues,  and  proceeds  there- 
of, shall  exceed  the  amount  necessary  to  build,  fit, 
furnish,  endow,  and  support  said  Biblical  Institute 
as  aforesaid,  I  direct  and  devote  the  surplus  to  accu- 
mulate, or  otherwise  to  be  invested  for  accumulation, 
for  the  erection  within  the  city  of  Chicago,  or  its 
vicinity,  of  a  Female  College,  as  soon  as  my  said 
executors,  the  survivors  or  survivor  of  them,  or  the 
trustees  of  said  trust  property,  as  herein  provided, 
shall  deem  the  same  adequate  therefor;  the  said 
Female  College  to  be  under  the  same  control  and 
government,  and  the  trustees  to  be  elected  in  the 
same  manner,  and  to  possess  the  same  qualifications 
as  are  provided  for  said  Biblical  Institute.'  At  the 
time  when  Mrs.  Garrett's  will  was  executed,  it  was 
not  supposed  by  herself  or  her  friends  that  the  benev- 
olent designs  she  contemplated  could  be  accomplished 


288  •*     WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

from  tlie  avails  of  her  estate  for  some  years  to  come. 
Her  property  had  been  rendered,  by  fires,  mostly 
unproductive,  while  it  was,  to  some  extent,  encum^ 
bered  with  debts.  At  this  point  a  fact  should  be 
stated  most  honorable  to  her  name,  and  highly  illus- 
trative of  her  Christian  self-denial.  So  anxious  was 
she  to  disencumber  her  estate  of  its  liabilities  at  the 
earliest  possible  period,  and  make  it  available  to  carry 
out  her  pious  and  benevolent  designs,  that  for  several 
years  she  would  only  accept  four  hundred  dollars  per 
annum  for  her  support,  and  nearly  half  of  that  she 
devoted  to  religious  uses." 

Her  self-denial  in  this  respect  reminds  us  of  the 
example  of  Mary  Fletcher,  at  Madeley.  It  was  not 
parsimony,  it  was  that  exalted  enthusiasm  (the  more 
remarkable  for  her  habitual  sobriety)  which  belongs 
to  all  grand  and  heroic  aims,  and  which,  by  concen- 
trating in  them  the  whole  energy  of  life,  guarantees 
at  once  their  success  and  their  greatness. 

The  announcement  of  the  magnificent  design  pro- 
duced a  profound  interest  throughout  the  Church. 
Its  best  minds  saw  in  the  plan,  so  effectively  en- 
dowed, another  pledge  of  the  grand  future  of  the 
denomination  which  so  many  presages  had  been 
foretokening ;  and  the  grateful  satisfaction  of  the 
Church  was  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  it  was  another 
proof  of  the  providential  agency  of  woman  in  the 
history  of  the  denomination.  It  willingly  placed  the 


ELIZA   GA11RETT.  289 

name  of  Eliza  Garrett  in  the  calendar  of  its  many 
female  worthies.  "  The  providence  of  God,"  continues 
her  biographer,  "did  riot  allow  designs  so  wise,  and  so 
essential  to  the  welfare  of  his  Church,  to  remain  long 
undeveloped.  The  friends  of  the  Church  became 
interested  to  have  the  measure  proposed  carried  into 
operation  at  the  earliest  moment  possible.  A  beau- 
tiful site  had  just  been  selected  for  the  Northwestern 
University  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  twelve 
miles  north  of  Chicago,  and  it  was  resolved  to  erect 
at  the  same  place  a  temporary  building  for  the  Bib- 
lical Institute.  Through  the  agency  of  the  Rev.  P. 
Judson,  the  building  was  promptly  constructed;  so 
that  in  January,  1855,  a  temporary  organization  of 
the  institute  was  effected,  under  charge  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Dempster.  It  was  arranged  that  this  organiza- 
tion should  be  supported  independent  of  the  estate 
for  a  period  of  five  years.  Meantime  a  charter  for 
the  permanent  institution  was  secured  from  the  legis- 
lature of  the  state,  in  full  accordance  with  Mrs.  Gar- 
rett's  wishes.  Events  were  now  progressing  in  a 
most  satisfactory  manner,  and  there  was  every  pros- 
pect that  Mrs.  Garrett,  who  had  been  present  at  the 
opening  of  the  introductory  institution,  might  see  it 
accomplish  its  period  of  service,  and  then,  having 
laid  with  her  own  hand  the  corner-stone  of  the  per- 
manent institute,  live  to  witness  its  results  in  follow- 
ing years.  But  Providence  directed  otherwise.  In 

19 


290  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

the  autumn  of  1855,  from  a  state  of  perfect  health, 
she  was  stricken  down  with  mortal  disease,  and,  after 
a  few  days  of  suffering,  was  called  to  her  reward  on 
high.  On  Sunday  evening,  the  18th  of  November, 
she  was  in  her  place  at  church,  and  on  Thursday, 
the  22d,  she  breathed  her  last !  To  remove  all 
possible  doubt  of  her  intentions  and  cherished  pur- 
poses, one  of  her  last  acts  was  to  confirm  her  bequest 
to  the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  as  chartered  by 
the  foregoing  session  of  the  legislature.  Having 
arranged  her  earthly  affairs,  she  serenely  awaited  the 
Master's  summons  into  his  presence.  In  Christian 
triumph  she  met  her  last  enemy,  and  found  him 
robbed  of  his  sting.  The  Saviour,  to  whom  she  had 
committed  the  keeping  of  her  soul,  gave  her  grace 
to  come  off  '  more  than  conqueror.'  His  supporting 
presence  was  gloriously  manifest  in  the  trying  hour, 
enabling  her  to  exclaim,  with  her  latest  breath, 
'Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul ! ' " 

Thus  did  this  noble  woman  accomplish  a  work 
worthy  of  the  greatest  life.  Her  good  sense  saved 
her  from  the  failure  into  which  many  of  similar 
responsibility  for  wealth  fall.  She  was  religiously 
thoughtful  of  the  uncertainties  of  human  life  from 
the  inception  of  her  scheme ;  she  therefore  provided 
the  promptest  securities  for  it.  Had  she  delayed  her 
will,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  her  sudden  sickness  and 
death  would  hardly  have  admitted  of  the  mature 


ELIZA  GAKBETT.  291 

preparation  of  her  sublime  and  far-reaching  plan, 
but  she  was  found  ready  when  the  summons  to  her 
reward  came.  Her  work  was  done  and  grandly  done, 
and  she  could  depart  with  the  devout  and  comforta- 
ble assurance,  that  for  ages  to  come  the  Church  of 
her  God  would  be  incalculably  blessed  through  the 
wealth  with  which  he  had  blessed  her.  She  has 
the  honor  of  having  made  the  largest  pecuniary 
benefaction  to  Methodism  of  any  woman  in  its  his- 
tory, if  not  indeed  of  any  woman  in  the  history  of 
Protestantism. 

The  institution,  which  will  forever  perpetuate  her 
name,  was  permanently  organized  in  a  temporary 
building  in  the  fall  of  1856,  and  has  thus  far  been 
maintained  without  cost  to  the  Church.  Since  its 
opening  it  has  given  free  instruction  to  more  than 
three  hundred  candidates  for  the  Christian  ministry, 
more  than  one  hundred  of  whom  are  now  preaching 
the  Gospel  in  different  annual  conferences  and  miss- 
ion fields.  Its  patronage  has  already  represented 
eighteen  states  and  two  territories  of  the  American 
Union,  besides  the  District  of  Columbia  and  several 
foreign  countries.  It  has  during  the  first  eight  years 
of  its  existence  been  attended  by  graduates  of  twenty- 
one  American  colleges,  and  by  students  from  thirty- 
four  annual  conferences,  thus  illustrating  its  adapt- 
ation to  the  wide- spread  and  urgent  want  of  the 
Church. 


292  WOMEN  or  METHODISM. 

In  view  of  the  pressure  now  made  upon  its  re- 
sources and  of  the  prospect  of  an  increasing  and 
perpetual  demand  for  its  advantages,  the  trustees  of 
this  school  of  sacred  learning  deem  it  a  duty  to 
consecrate  Mrs.  Garrett's  bequest  exclusively  to  its 
endowment.  Originally  they  hoped  to  be  able  to 
reserve  from  the  income  of  her  legacy  a  sufficient 
sum  to  enable  them  to  erect  suitable  and  perma- 
nent buildings.  The  experiment  of  maintaining 
the  institution,  even  in  the  earlier  stages  of  its 
existence,  convinced  them  of  the  impracticability 
of  that  hope  without  the  curtailment  of  essen- 
tial educational  advantages.  Hence  they  found 
themselves,  a  year  or  two  since,  under  the  neces- 
sity of  appealing  to  the  Church  and  its  friends 
for  funds  to  enable  them  to  construct  permanent 
buildings.  Their  appeal  had  already  been  sanc- 
tioned by  various  annual  conferences,  and  when  at 
the  proper  time  it  was  submitted  to  the  General 
Centenary  Committee  it  was  officially  accredited  as 
eminently  just. 

Monumental  buildings  for  the  Garrett  Biblical 
Institute  were  accordingly  designated  as  a  promi- 
nent object  of  Connectional  Centenary  contribu- 
tions. Within  the  range  of  that  object,  and  as 
a  most  fitting  part  of  the  plan,  the  Ladies'  Cen- 
tenary Association  proposes  to  construct  an  edi- 
fice, at  an  expense  of  $50,000,  to  be  used  as  a 


CONTINUED   USEFULNESS.  293 

home  for  the  students,  and  to  be  named  HECK 
HALL,  in  honor  of  Barbara  Heck,  the  foundress 
of  American  Methodism.* 

I  have  thus  recorded  some  of  the  memorable 
names  of  women  who  hare  illustrated  the  history 
of  Methodism.  Many  of  the  most  conspicuous  have 
been  necessarily  omitted.  They  throng  its  annals 
from  its  origin  down  to  our  day.  Their  agency 
forms  one  of  the  most  striking  features  of  its  history. 
Their  activity,  organized  by  Wesley,  continues  to  pro- 
mote its  progress  vigorously  in  all  its  fields.  Occa- 
sionally they  still  appear  in  the  more  public  labors 
which  were  exemplified  by  Mary  Fletcher,  Hester  Ann 
Rogers,  and  Grace  Murray ;  the  more  ample  growth 
of  the  regular  ministry  has,  however,  relieved  them 
generally  of  such  services;  but  as  Sunday-school 
teachers,  Academic  teachers,  and  Missionaries,  they 
form  a  numerous  body  of  Church  laborers.  In  the 
social  services  of  Methodism  (perhaps  its  most  dis- 
tinctive and  effective  means  of  success,)  its  class- 
meetings,  love-feasts,  and  prayer-meetings,  their 
power  is  universally  prevalent  in  our  day.  In 
almost  every  church  of  the  denomination,  in  the 

*  As  will  be  seen  from  the  Appendix  and  various  Centenary  docu- 
ments, similar  action,  in  all  respects,  was  taken  in  behalf  of  the  Biblical 
School  of  New  England,  which  from  its  foundation  has  been  doing  a 
work  of  the  highest  importance  for  the  Church,  and  which  has  corre- 
sponding claims  upon  the  Centenary  liberality  of  the  whole  Church. 


294  WOMEN   OF   METHODISM. 

city,  or  the  humblest  village  and  remotest  neigh- 
borhood, they  may  be  heard  every  week,  among  our 
chief  witnesses  for  the  faith.  They  also  toil  in 
innumerable  forms  of  benevolent  usefulness,  often 
noiselessly,  but  none  the  less  efficiently.  They  even 
take  the  lead  in  various  philanthropic  enterprises. 
Methodism  far  transcends  Quakerism  in  the  extent 
and  effectiveness  of  the  activity  of  its  women.  In 
fine,  its  early  example  in  this  respect  has  influenced 
its  whole  career  down  to  the  present  day,  and  now 
awakens  the  brightest  promise  for  the  future.  The 
women 'of  the  second  century  of  American  Meth- 
odism enter  upon  their  privileges  and  responsibilities 
in  the  light  of  the  pure  examples  and  the  successful 
efforts  of  the  past.  While  their  privileges  are  greatly 
multiplied,  they  can  clearly  see  from  the  history  of 
those  who  have  gone  before  them  that  their  own 
labor  will  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  "While,  then, 
the  Church  may  well  rejoice  over  its  record  of 
devout  women,  both  in  its  earlier  and  later  history, 
it  may  confidently  look  to  those  at  present  within  its 
pale  to  hand  down  similar  examples  and  influences 
to  generations  following. 


APPENDIX. 


BRIEF  SKETCH  OF  THE  AMERICAN  LADIES'  CENTENARY 
MOVEMENT. 

ORIGIN. 

No  one  aware  of  the  important  agency  of  females  in  the  great 
Religious  Movement  of  the  Eighteenth  and  Nineteenth  Cen- 
turies, will  have  been  surprised  that  pious  women  were  among 
the  first  to  respond  to  the  official  call  of  the  American  Method- 
ist Church  for  a  centenary  offering  of  gratitude  to  Almighty 
God,  designed  "to  render  more  efficient  in  the  century  to  come 
those  institutions  and  agencies  to  which  the  Church  has  been 
so  deeply  indebted  in  the  century  past." 

Historians  had  repeatedly  asserted,  and  readers  generally 
assented,  that  Barbara  Heck  ought  to  have  a  worthy  monu- 
ment. 

The  approach  of  the  centennial  year  furnished  the  fit  occasion. 
The  action  of  the  General  Centenary  Committee  suggested  the 
appropriate  form,  and  an  urgent  necessity  fixed  the  special 
object.  First  among  the  special  objects  of  connectional  lib- 
erality the  committee  originally  designated  "  buildings  for  the 
Biblical  Institute  at  Evanston,  111."  Here  was  the  proper  idea 
of  a  monument — not  a  mere  ornamental  shaft,  but  a  MEMORIAL 
BUILDING,  designed  to  furnish  a  home  for  the  sons  of  the 
prophets,  the  Philip  Emburys  of  the  coming  century,  while 
pursuing  their  sacred  studies.  It  was  a  striking  coincidence 
that  at  least  three  similar  structures  had  been  already  reared  by 
female  benevolence  in  connection  with  three  different  theolog- 
ical institutions  in  the  United  States.* 

What,  therefore,  could  be  more  fitting  than  that  the  ladies 
of  the  Methodist  Churches  should  combine  to  rear  a  similar 

*Beatty  Hall  at  Alleghany  City,  Pa.,  Hertzog  Hall  at  New  Brunswick, 
N.  J.,  and  Brown  Hall  at  Princeton. 


296  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

hall,  designed  to  link  together  in  perpetual  remembrance,  and 
in  a  perpetuity  of  usefulness,  the  names  of  Barbara  Heck  and 
Eliza  Garrett!  Such  a  design  was  promptly  conceived  and 
publicly  proposed  by  the  ladies  of  the  West,  who  were  in  a 
position  to  see  at  once  the  urgent  necessity,  as  well  as  the  great 
propriety,  of  the  movement.  The  American  Methodist  Ladies' 
Centenary  Association  was  accordingly  organized  in  Chicago 
in  September,  1865. 

PBEMABY  DESIGN. 

The  primary  design  of  the  association  is  well  set  forth  in 
the  following  extract  of  its  appeal  to  the  Methodist  ladies  of 
America : 

"DEAR  SISTERS  IN  CHKIST:  As  the  one  hundredth  birthday 
of  our  Church  in  America  draws  near,  do  not  our  hearts,  though 
always  loving  toward  her,  beat  with  a  more  intense  devotion  to 
her  cause  ?  Do  not  the  thousands  of  us  who  have  found  in  her 
a  mother  cherishing  and  tender,  desire  to  manifest  the  gratitude 
we  feel  by  bringing,  in  the  hour  of  her  rejoicing,  some  gift 
worthy  of  us  to  offer,  as  of  her  to  accept  ?  So  we  believe ;  and, 
certain  that  we  do  not  mistake  the  impulses  of  those  whom  we 
address,  we  cordially  solicit  and  confidently  expect  your  aid  in 
the  conduct  of  an  enterprise  which  shall  attest  our  filial  love 
for  the  Church  whose  name  we  bear. 

"  The  fact  is  stated  hi  our  history,  that  a  hundred  years  ago  a 
woman  first  evoked  the  spirit  of  Methodism  on  our  shores.  Dr. 
Stevens  says  of  Mrs.  Barbara  Heck,  that  '  she  was  really  the 
Foundress  of  American  Methodism.'  Under  God,  she  called 
out  the  first  minister,  convened  the  first  congregation  and  class, 
and  planned  the  first  Methodist  church  edifice  on  this  side  the 
Atlantic. 

"Another  fact  with  which  we  are  familiar  is,  that  to  Mrs. 
Eliza  Garrett,  a  Methodist  lady  of  fortune,  we  are  indebted  for 
the  endowment  of  the  Biblical  Institute  at  Evanston,  HI.,  whose 
praise  and  patronage  extend  through  all  our  borders. 

"  In  connection  with  this  institution  the  Church  proposes  to 
erect  a  memorial  edifice  for  educational  purposes  during  the 
centennial  year;  but  another  building  is  needed  to  furnish  a 
home  for  the  students  while  pursuing  their  theological  course." 


APPENDIX.  297 

"  The  latter  is  the  design  of  HECK  HALL  ;  and  for  women  to 
build  on  a  foundation  laid  by  one  of  their  own  sex,  and  in 
honor  of  the  woman  who  was  mother  to  the  infant  Church  now 
celebrating,  in  its  strength,  its  first  centennial,  is  certainly  a 
fitting  and  delightful  task.  Moreover,  since  the  memory  of 
Mrs.  Heck  is  dear  and  sacred  to  all  Methodists,  it  is  essential 
that  all  be  invited  to  participate  in  its  homage;  hence  this 
'Appeal'  to  the  ladies  of  the  Church  at  large." 

ENLABGEMENT  OF  PLAN. 

When  the  above-stated  design  was  communicated  to  the 
public,  it  met  with  a  favor  so  general  and  so  enthusiastic  as  to 
convince  those  acquainted  with  the  plans  of  the  association 
that  it  was  capable  of  accomplishing  much  more  than  had  been 
originally  proposed. 

The  association  therefore  laid  before  the  General  Centenary 
Committee  at  its  second  meeting,  held  in  November,  1865,  its 
proposed  plan  of  action  and  its  appeal,  together  with  a  memo- 
rial asking  official  recognition,  and  suggesting  an  enlargement 
of  its  plan  to  embrace  such  other  general  objects  of  centenary 
action  as  might  be  deemed  advisable,  but  specially  naming  the 
Biblical  Institute  at  Concord.  After  due  consideration  the 
General  Centenary  Committee  gave  its  official  and  cordial 
sanction  to  the  association  and  its  objects,  with  instructions 
to  the  Central  Committee  "  to  enlarge  its  basis,  and  extend  the 
application  of  its  funds  to  such  other  connectional  objects  as 
they  may  deem  advisable."  The  action  of  the  Central  Cen- 
tenary Committee  was  embodied  in  the  following  resolution : 

"  Resolved,  That  said  association  be  and  it  is  hereby  author- 
ized to  appropriate  $100,000  from  the  funds  first  raised  by  it  in 
equal  parts  of  $50,000  each  to  the  biblical  schools  at  Evanston 
and  Concord!  severally,  and  that  all  funds  beyond  that  sum  of 
$100,000  shall  be  given  to  the  Centenary  Educational  Fund." 

CONNECTIONAI,  CHABACTEB. 

By  the  action  narrated  above  the  character  of  the  association 
was  established  as  connectional  in  the  fullest  sense.  Its 
primary  design  of  rearing  an  edifice  at  Evanston  in  commemo- 
ration of  MBS.  HECK  was  expanded  to  the  extent  of  conferring 


298  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 

a  similar  benefit  upon  the  Biblical  Institute  of  the  New  England 
states,  and  also  of  swelling  by  the  entire  surplus  of  its  collec- 
tions the  Connectional  Educational  Fund  designed  to  confer 
benefits  with  equal  hand  throughout  the  entire  borders  of  the 
Church. 

For  statements  of  the  character  and  importance  of  the  Con- 
nectional Educational  Fund  reference  may  be  made  to  the  appen- 
dix of  the  Centenary  volume  and  Centenary  Document  No.  2. 

RELATIONS  OF  THE  CONNECTIONAL,  FUND  TO  FEMALE 
EDUCATION. 

In  justice  to  the  history  of  the  Ladies'  Association,  it  is 
proper  to  state  that  when  the  question  of  enlarging  the  appli- 
cation of  its  funds  was  before  the  Central  Centenary  Committee, 
its  officers  memorialized  that  committee  to  the  effect  that  the 
surplus  funds  of  the  association,  beyond  the  $100,000  desig- 
nated for  buildings,  might  be  specially  appropriated  in  aid  of 
female  education. 

The  committee  not  deeming  itself  authorized  to  create  any 
special  department  of  the  fund  provided  for  by  the  general 
committee,  nevertheless  officially  communicated  to  the  ladies 
the  following  opinion : 

„  "You  naturally  feel  an  interest  in  providing  for  female 
education.  As  we  understand  the  purposes  of  the  '  Centenary 
Educational  Fund,'  our  female  schools  and  colleges  are  in- 
cluded in  its  scope.  Certainly  as  a  committee  we  are  as 
deeply  interested  in  the  education  in  our  schools  of  representa- 
tives of  the  gentler  sex  as  of  our  young  men." 

This  opinion  was  accepted  as  just  and  satisfactory.  In  the 
light  of  it  all  friends  of  female  education  should  feel  called 
upon  to  assist  in  swelling  the  contribution  of  the  Ladies' 
Association  so  as  to  make  the  claim  of  the  sex  upon  the  con- 
nectional  fund  as  large  as  possible. 

PLANS   OF   OPERATION. 

MEMBERSHIP,  ETC. 

The  success  of  the  American  Ladies'  Centenary  Association 
will  now  depend  wholly  upon  the  practical  support  given  it  in 
the  collection  of  funds  for  its  treasury. 


APPENDIX.  299 

Funds  are  accordingly  solicited  as  direct  donations  from  all 
who  approve  of  the  objects  above  named,  and  also  in  the 
creation  of  various  grades  of  MEMBERSHIP. 

Any  lady,  by  paying  one  dollar  into  the  funds  of  the  associa- 
tion, may  become  a  member,  and  will  be  entitled  to  have  her 
name  recorded  and  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the  aforesaid 
Biblical  Institutes. 

The  payment  of  ten  dollars  will  constitute  a  life  member, 
twenty-five  dollars  an  honorary  manager,  one  hundred  dollars 
a  patroness,  one  thousand  dollars  or  more  a  benefactress. 

CERTIFICATES. 

All  life  members,  honorary  managers,  patronesses,  and  bene- 
factresses will  be  entitled  to  certificates.  The  engraving  will 
be' an  ornament  to  any  parlor  in  the  land,  and  as  a  centenary 
memorial  should  be  an  heir-loom  in  every  Methodist  family. 

BRANCH  AND   AUXILIARY  ASSOCIATIONS  —  INDIVIDUAL  AND 
CONGREGATIONAL   ACTION. 

Branch  or  auxiliary  associations  may  be  formed  everywhere, 
and  of  any  extent,  embracing  whole  conferences,  groups  of  con- 
ferences, or  single  appointments,  as  may  be  deemed  most 
feasible. 

Nevertheless,  in  view  of  the  shortness  of  the  time  left  for  action, 
it  has  become  apparent  that  immediate  individual  and  congre- 
gational effort  in  the  various  appointments  of  the  Church  are 
of  the  greatest  importance. 

It  should  be  distinctly  borne  in  mind  that  the  formation  of 
local  associations  in  any  place  for  other  purposes  need  not 
prevent  the  organization  of  auxiliaries  or  individual  efforts  in 
behalf  of  the  connectional  association. 

The  pastor's  wife  in  each  station  or  circuit,  as  an  ex-officio 
manager  of  this  association,  is  expected  to  call  a  meeting 
of  the  ladies,  who  shall  devise  and  put  in  operation  such 
measures  as  in  their  judgment  shall  be  best  adapted  to  pro- 
cure funds. 

If  anything  should  prevent  or  too  long  delay  the  call  thus 
provided  for,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  other  members  of  the 
Church  will  act  discreetly  and  efficiently  in  the  premises. 


300  WOMEN  OF   METHODISM. 

Is  it  in  any  sense  too  much  to  hope  that  whatever  other 
enterprises  may  be  taken  in  hand  by  ladies  in  connection 
with  the  centenary  celebration,  every  Methodist  woman  in  the 
land  will  wish  at  least  to  become  a  member  of  this  association, 
and  thus  to  contribute  something  toward  the  memorial  build- 
ing in  commemoration  of  the  name  and  virtues  of  Barbara 
Heck,  as  well  as  to  the  other  objects  of  the  association  ?  Will 
not  all  who  thus  feel  take  timely  steps  to  enroll  themselves  as 
members  ? 

LADIES'  CENTENARY  VOLUME. 

It  will  be  specially  appropriate  everywhere  to  encourage 
young  ladies  and  others  to  secure  subscriptions  for  member- 
ship, and  to  circulate  the  present  volume. 

To  encourage  efforts  of  this  kind  the  association  proposes  to 
send  a  handsomely  bound  copy  of  "  The  Women  of  Method- 
ism "  by  mail,  post-paid,  to  any  who  will  secure  ten  subscrip- 
tions of  any  denomination  from  one  dollar  upward  to  the  funds 
of  the  association,  and  forward  the  same  to  Miss  FKANCES  E. 
WILLAKD,  at  Evanston,  HI.,  or  to  either  of  her  associate  cor- 
responding secretaries  representing  the  various  branches.* 

An  effort  should  be  made  to  secure  as  many  life  members, 
honorary  managers,  patronesses  and  benefactresses  as  possible. 
Every  list  of  ten  claiming  this  prize  should  include  at  least 
one  of  the  above  grades. 

ACCOUNTS. 

It  is  proposed  to  keep  the  accounts  of  the  association  in  such 
a  manner  that  each  annual  conference  shall  ~be  credited  with  every 
dollar  contributed  through  the  Ladies'  Association,  and  as  the 
objects  of  the  association  are  exclusively  connectional,  it  is 
hoped  that  in  many  conferences  this  will  become  a  favorite  as 
well  as  efficient  medium  of  benevolent  centenary  action. 

FUNDS — REPORTS 

To  facilitate  the  convenience  of  our  friends  in  all  parts  of  the 
Church,  it  is  arranged  that  funds  may  be  paid  in  to  the  book 
agents,  Messrs.  Carlton  and  Porter,  New  York;  Messrs.  Poe  and 

*  Their  names  would  have  been  given  herewith  had  they  beea 
reported  in  time. 


APPENDIX.  301 

Hitchcock,  Cincinnati,  Chicago,  and  St.  Louis;  and  J.  P.  Magee, 
Boston. 

It  is  also  presumed  that  the  agents  of  all  the  book  depos- 
itories of  the  Church  will,  when  requested,  receive  centenary 
funds  for  transmission  to  the  general  treasurers. 

It  is,  however,  especially  requested  that  whenever  payments 
are  thus  made  receipts  be  taken  for  the  same,  and  that  an 
accurate  account  of  the  names  and  residences  of  subscribers 
and  donors  be  transmitted  to  the  treasurer  of  the  association, 
MRS.  HASKIN,  Evanston,  111.  All  secretaries  of  branch  and 
auxiliary  associations,  and  all  individuals  who  collect  funds,  are 
specially  desired  to  make  these  reports,  as  the  only  means  of 
obtaining  a  full  and  classified  list  of  subscribers  for  publication 
and  preservation. 

FINAL  WORD. 

Our  enterprise  is  now  before  the  Church  and  the  world.  It 
remains  to  be  seen  what  response  will  be  made  to  our  appeal, 
and  what  record  shall  be  entered  up  by  the  women  of  1866  to  be 
reviewed  by  those  of  a  hundred  years  to  come.  Well  may  this 
be  called  our  golden  opportunity.  Never  before  was  it  provi- 
dentially arranged  that  the  women  of  American  Methodism 
might  act  in  unison  for  definite  and  grand  objects.  Never 
again  shall  we  have  such  an  opportunity  of  writing  our  names 
and  influence  upon  the  institutions  and  Christian  agencies  of  an 
incoming  century. 

Every  one  will  say  that  the  work  is  good ;  but  it  cannot  be 
done  by  words  only.  Deeds  alone  will  speak  to  coming  gen- 
erations. Let  us  hope,  therefore,  that  all  who  wish  well  to  the 
enterprises  taken  in  hand  by  the  Ladies'  Association  will  in- 
stantly and  energetically  act  in  their  behalf.  The  time  is  short 
and  precious.  Let  it  be  turned  to  the  best  possible  account  for 
the  cause  of  God  and  the  Church. 

N.  B. — All  persons  desiring  copies  of  the  constitution,  forms 
of  constitutions  for  branches  or  auxiliaries,  or  any  special  infor- 
mation concerning  the  American  Methodist  Ladies'  Centenary 
Association,  will  be  promptly  supplied  on  addressing  the  Cor- 
responding Secretary,  Miss  FRANCES  E.  WILLARD,  Evanston, 
Illinois. 


302  WOMEJS"   OF   METHODISM. 


EXTRACT  OF  A  CENTENARY  ADDRESS  BY  REV.  C.  H.  FOWLER. 

One  hundred  years  ago  Barbara  Heck  called  Philip  Embury 
to  be  the  first  American  Methodist  minister.  He  had  been  an 
active  devoted  minister  in  Ireland,  but  this  continent  was  too 
great  a  charge  for  him.  His  courage  gave  "way  under  the 
burden.  For  six  years  he  was  obscured  behind  the  cloud  from 
which,  at  the  fiat  of  her  voice,  he  came  forth  to  illumine  this, 
land  and  shed  the  light  of  a  Gospel  life  upon  unborn  genera- 
tions. One  humble  Christian  heart  was  dropped  into  this 
continent.  A  territory  wide  enough  for  a  hundred  empires, 
and  rich  enough  for  a  thousand  millions  of  people,  was  quick- 
ened by  the  beatings  of  the  divine  life  in  that  single  heart. 
Barbara  Heck  put  her  brave  soul  against  the  rugged  possibili- 
ties of  the  future,  and  throbbed  into  existence  American  Meth- 
odism. The  leaven  of  her  grace  has  leavened  a  continent. 
The  seed  of  her  piety  has  grown  into  a  tree  so  immense  that  a 
whole  flock  of  commonwealths  come  and  lodge  in  the  branches 
thereof.  And  its  mellow  fruit  drops  into  a  million  homes.  To 
have  planted  American  Methodism ;  to  have  watered  it  with 
holy  tears ;  to  have  watched  and  nourished  it  with  the  tender, 
sleepless  love  of  a  mother,  and  the  pious  devotion  of  a  saint ;  to 
have  called  out  the  first  minister,  convened  the  first  congrega- 
tion, met  the  first  class,  and  planned  the  first  Methodist  church 
edifice,  and  secured  its  completion,  is  to  have  merited  a  monu- 
ment as  enduring  as  American  institutions,  and  in  the  order  of 
Providence  it  has  received  a  monument  which  the  years  cannot 
crumble ;  as  enduring  as  the  Church  of  God.  The  life-work  of 
Barbara  Heck  finds  its  counterpart  in  the  living  energies  of  the 
Church  she  founded. 

The  American  Methodist  ladies  purpose  to  erect  a  special 
monument  to  the  memory  of  this  Christian  woman.  Their 
ideal  is  to  crystalize  into  homes  worth  at  least  $50,000  each,  at 
Evanston  and  at  Boston,  for  the  students  in  these  schools  of 
the  prophets.  This  purpose  has  three  co-ordinate  ideas  :  1.  To 
erect  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  a  benefactress  of  the  Church ; 
2.  To  make  a  centenary  offering  to  our  Church ;  and,  3.  To  furnish 
homes  for  the  coming  ministry  of  the  Church. 

As  a  memorial  it  is  every  way  fitting  that  the  Methodist 
women  of  America  should  honor  her  whom  history  says  really 
founded  American  Methodism,  founded  the  Church  which  the 
great  martyred  President  said  "  sent  more  men  to  the  field, 
more  nurses  to  the  hospital,  and  more  prayers  to  heaven  for  the 
Kepublic,  than  any  other  Church/'  Sowing  the  seed  for  such 
a  harvest,  she  has  pre-eminent  claims  for  such  a  monument. 


APPENDIX.  303 

As  an  offering  for  the  hundreth  anniversary  of  the  Church,  it 
is  a  slight  birthday  token  from  daughters  to  their  mother, 
whom  a  hundred  winters  have  only  strengthened,  and  whose 
vigor  keeps  pace  with  her  experience.  Faithful  and  obedient 
daughters,  venerable  and  wise  mother  ! 

As  a  home  for  the  coming  ministry  of  the  Church,  in  build- 
ing it  the  ladies  are  only  imitating  the  example  of  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church,  who  came  into  his  work  of  the  healing  of 
souls  through  the  healing  of  bodies.  A  soul  is  of  no  practical 
value  that  is  not  well  housed  in  a  body.  To  care  for  the 
bodies  of  men  precedes  a  care  for  their  souls.  If  you  suffer  a 
man's  body  to  crumble  to  pieces  you  put  his  soul  beyond  all 
care.  We  have  the  divine  order,  first  the  natural,  and  after 
that  the  spiritual.  Let  him  that  is  taught  in  the  word  com- 
municate unto  him  that  teacheth  in  all  good  things.  Many  a 
man  with  brain-power  that  might  adorn  and  bless  the  Church 
and  the  world,  is  worn  out  in  the  hard  drudgery  for  bread. 
Struggling  for  education  with  fortune  all  against  him,  he  dies, 
killed,  not  by  study,  but  by  economy ;  by  learning  and  prac- 
ticing the  awful  art  of  living  on  nothing,  and  less  than  nothing. 
The  Church  has  too  long  pursued  the  poor  policy  of  letting 
the  brains,  which  she  could  not  furnish,  die  for  want  of  the 
muscle  which  she  could  furnish.  We  hear  much  about  self- 
made  men,  and  I  believe  in  them ;  for  every  real  man  is  self- 
made.  No  matter  how  many  institutions  he  may  have  to  help 
him,  if  he  does  not  make  himself  he  is  never  half  made. 

Now  the  Ladies'  Centenary  Association  proposes  to  give 
young  men  the  helps  of  institutions  and  homes,  so  that  the 
germs  of  their  possibilities  may  be  wrought  out  into  actuali- 
ties, that  they  may  have  the  largest  available  power.  These 
are  the  grand  co-ordinate  ideas  of  this  Ladies'  Centenary  As- 
sociation :  to  erect  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  a  benefac- 
tress of  the  Church ;  to  make  a  centenary  offering  to  the 
Church ;  and  to  furnish  homes  for  the  coming  ministry  of  the 
Church. 

This  is  a  bond  of  union  to  the  Church,  braided  with  three 
golden  strands :  one  the  holy  memories  of  the  past ;  another 
the  living  activities  of  the  present ;  the  other  the  divine  possi- 
bilities of  the  future.  One,  running  through  the  graves  of  the 
sainted  dead,  binds  us  to  the  Church  triumphant ;  another, 
running  into  the  generous  purposes  of  the  living,  binds  us  to 
the  throbbing  heart  of  the  Church  militant ;  the  other,  reaching 
out  into  the  years  to  come,  binds  us  to  the  pulpits  and  faith  of 
all  coming  time.  Surely  they  who  put  even  one  stone  in  Heck 
Hall  pronounce  a  benediction  upon  their  own  and  the  stranger's 
children  forever. 


304:  WOMEN  OF  METHODISM. 


NAMES  OF  THE  GENERAL  CENTENARY  COMMITTEE. 

BISHOPS. 

Thomas  A.  Moms,  Edmund  S.  Janes,  Levi  Scott,  Matthew  Simpson,  Osmon  C.  Baker 
Edward  R.  Ames,  Davis  W.  Clark,  Edward  Thomson,  Calvin  Kingsley. 

MINISTERS. 

Rev.  George  Peck,  D.D.,  Rev.  Charles  Elliott,  D.D.,  Rev.  John  M'Clintock,  D.D., 
Rev.  D.  P.  Kidder,  D.D.,  Rev.  D.  Patten,  D.D.,  Rev.  E.  Thomas,  Rev.  D.  W.  Bartine, 
D.D.,  Rev.  F.  C.  Holliday,  D.D.,  Rev.  Thomas  Sewall,  D.D.,  Rev.  James  F.  Chalfant, 
Rev.  Moses  Hill,  Rev.  F.  A.  Blades. 

LAYMEN. 

Thomas  P.  Tasker,  Esq.,  Philadelphia;  George  C.  Cook,  Esq.,  Chicago;  Hon.  James 
Bishop,  New  Brunswick,  N.  J. ;  Hon.  John  Owen,  Detroit,  Mich. ;  Isaac  Rich,  Esq., 
Boston;  Gen.  Clinton  B.  Fisk,  St.  Louis;  I.  P.  Cook,  Esq.,  Baltimore;  Hon.  Gary  A. 
Trimble,  Chillicothe,  Ohio ;  Oliver  Hoyt,  Esq.,  New  York ;  Alexander  Bradley,  Esq., 
Pittsburgh,  Pa. ;  F.  H.  Root,  Esq.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Edward  Sargent,  Esq.,  Cincinnati, 
Ohio. 


NAMES  OF  CENTRAL  CENTENARY  COMMITTEE. 

Rev.  Dr.  M'Clintock,  Rev.  Dr.  Curry,  Rev.  Dr.  Crooks.  Mr.  Oliver  Hoyt,  Mr.  James 
Bishop,  Mr.  C.  C.  North. 

Rev.  W.  C.  Hoyt,  Secretary. 

GENERAL  TREASURERS  OF  CENTENARY  FUNDS. 

Messrs.  Carlton  and  Porter,  200  Mulberry-street,  New  York ;  Messrs.  Poe  and  Hitch- 
cock, Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  and  Chicago;  James  P.  Magee,  Boston. 

N.  B. — In  a  future  edition  it  is  proposed  to  publish  a  list  of 
the  chief  officers  of  the  American  Methodist  Ladies'  Centenary 
Association,  and  all  its  branch  and  auxiliary  associations ;  also 
the  names  of  all  who  are  constituted  life  members,  honorary 
managers,  patronesses,  and  benefactresses. 


B  UBRARV 

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Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


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iQQK  _REQUEST_ 


WAYNE,  TIFFANY  K. 

104  BRONSON  ST  #2*SANTA| 


Note: 

HISTORY  -  MERRILL  COLLEGE 


1.  Stevens,  AbslT  1815-1897. 

The    wora.en    o.f  .WethodxstU.  i .  i.t^ 

of    Huntingtcjn.    and    Barbara 

...    /    by   Abel    Stevens. 
SP.LF  A   0005307334   Ty 

2.  Stevens,    Abel,    1815-1B97, 

The   u>omen   of    Methodism    s    its    thre| 
r-i_.   ,  «*    Uf  IM <•  i  rn-irif-in*       and    Barbar 


